Star Trek - Triton 'Bull in a China Shop'

[Captain Universe]

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, once again I have something that I wrote that I'd love to share with the rest of you. It's about a Charleston-class starship named the Triton. This beginning prologue, I hope, sets the some of the scene before we get to the ship and her crew. I would like to give my thanks to FltCpt. Bossco for giving me advice on the class of ship and for doing the image of Captain Emeri Durzan, the Triton's Betazoid commander.

And now... on with the show! \w/

Star Trek: Triton
'Bull in a China Shop
By Captain Universe


Prologue

Fear and pain resonated through Aerashai’s knees as she crawled through the tunnel. The narrow access tunnel to the main communications pod was protected by security cameras and the Sharfi knew that Ch’vhare wouldn’t missed her for a few hours but the Implant on the back of her neck made her sweat. With every inch that she crawled, she grew closer to her destination.

Ever science the Cha’saiyn pirate had taken over the Cradle, she and her fellow countryman Sokai had become his slaves after the murder of the leadership council. With many of the others outside of cryogenic suspension Turned over to the Hive, they were the only members of the original crew who could keep the ship together.

“Sokai to Aerashai,” the emissary’s whisper was faintly heard from the communicator on her belt. He was keeping Ch’vhare and the Hive distracted while she was carried out her task. For years since they had discovered him adrift in a broken-down derelict, she wished that they had never met Ch’vhare. The torture that she had endured at his hands just to survive… so that others could live…

‘It’ll all be worth it if I can summon forth help,’ she told herself before she stopped in front of the communications pod. The entryway was blocked by a closed set of doors that only opened upon receiving the receipt of a top-secret security code that only the higher echelon of the leadership council had known. The Sharfi caretaker had finally found the code for the doors a week ago after spending a countless amount of rotation cycles, trolling through the ship’s computers. Most of the operating systems were closed off because of Ch’vhare but the deep-system memory core was still accessible to those tasked with caring for the ship while its crew was in sleep mode.

Stopping in front of the door, she rubbed her knees after pulling herself into a sitting position. Though the tunnel was small and narrow for a regular-sized Sharfi, it was easier for her. She may have the height of a youngling but she had the wisdom of the Ancients themselves.

“Sokai to Aerashai,” her communicator repeated again. She grabbed it off her belt before the frequency was discovered by the Hive.

“What?!,” she demanded, almost yelling into the communicator.

“Are you there yet?,” he asked her again. The emissary was stationed in a hidden alcove of the auxiliary command center when a secure console where he sent her directions from the map on his display screen.

“I only just arrived, Sokai. I’m checking to see if the codes work now.” Out of the work belt draped around her hips, she took out a small scanning instrument that she had cobbled together from pieces of other scanners. Ch’vhare had armed the Cradle with a series of primitive weapons systems and many of the equipment modules involved with their construction had been destroyed. Sokai and her had offered countless prayers to the Goddess when he hadn’t discovered the defensive systems powered by the pre-animate power generated by the Anubic Sphere at the heart of the ship.

Powering up her handmade scanner with only a sparkle of power, Aerashai checked the space in front of her. She couldn’t see it but the scanner detected a protective force-field in front of the door, even though the sensors around this part of the ship had been disconnected by Ch’vhare’s creative rewiring of the ship’s sensor system protocols. She checked the codes against the diagnostic program loaded in her scanner before sending it. The sparkle of energy powering her scanner shorted out a few times while she worked but a few good smacks kept it operating. Her diagnostic program’s examination of the security code proved that they were viable.

“I’m completing my diagnosis now. Are you still monitoring me with the secondary passive array?”

“Your communicator and life-support signals are still coming through clearly. The anti-photons that you’re using are still masking the signal of our Implants. I will say that it will not last for long, thausheian.”

“You almost sound worried, Sokai,” Aerashai chuckled, smiling at his cautiousness. With the code input into her scanner and the diagnostic program rendering them usable, she transmitted them to the shielded section of the computer matrix neither Ch’vhare or any member of the Hive could gain access to.

“You know what that bastard will do to us if he catches us, don’t you? My legs still ache from the last ‘re-education’ session in the Cargo Hold,” he warned her from his hiding spot. The readout panel in front of him followed her every move. Even through the small burst of anti-photons, Ch’vhare could still detect their life-signs but not their true locations.

The force-field around the closed passageway shimmered for an instance before dissipating and the doors slid open with a heavy whoosh. There was a foul, dank odor from the inner chamber that made her nose wrinkle in disgust, though the equipment in their part of the ship hadn’t been used in a very long time since the Cradle had left Sharfiyt. Coughing and gasping for fresh air, Aerashai crawled forward past the threshold in the communications pod.
Dust was caked over every inch of the chamber, the display monitors and instruments while cobwebs and shadows decorated the dark corners of the room. With her scanner held out in front of her, the Sharfi climbed out of the access tunnel and rose up to her feet before looking around. Once she located the main transceiver assembly at the center of the room, she walked towards it. The activation codes that she had transmitted earlier gave her access to every faucet of the room and a spark of life glimpsed past the layers of dust on the monitor screens.

“I’m in,” she said, holding her communicator up to her lips. Aerashai brushed the dust aside on one monitor, holstering her communicator on her belt. She set her scanner down on the console in front of her and began checking over the transmission systems of the Cradle. Once a small amount of power was shunted from the small reserve that Sokai was hiding from Ch’vhare down in one of the engine rooms for this venture to one of the external transmitters, she ran a quick diagnostic.

“There is still no sign that they’re onto us, Aerashai.”

“Maintain your vigilance, Sokai. I’m running a diagnostic before I send out our message,” the caretaker said because she wanted to make certain that there was positively no deception in what they were planning. “I don’t wish for our scheme to end before – “

“Yes, yes, I tire of this pirate and his Hive, Aerashai. Do what you can while we still have time!”

“Yes, yes, Sokai, settle down, please. I’m getting to it.” A faint alarm from her scanner alerted her that the diagnostic was finished. The screen in front of her showed that the Cradle’s transmission was ready to transmit. Pulling a memory crystal out of a secret pouch in her worn work blouse, the Sharfi inserted it into an access port and transferred it into the ship’s computer. The distress signal that she had crafted carefully in her off-hours designed to be heavily encoded that Ch’vhare could never access it. The best cryptologists on Sharfiyt had taught her this craft during her adolescence stage and once the message left the ship, the message would automatically unravel from its encryption. Transmitting out into the unknowns of outer space, both Aerashai and Sokai put their hopes and dreams into this transmission.

“I’m sending it now.”

With a few commands to the transmitter, the Caretaker of the Cradle sent away her prayers that her salvation would soon come.

[Captain Universe]

Chapter One


“The’vaun ar’rasha. The’vaun ar’rasha. Se’seth Skra’anith deve’anta, venek ar’rashaki.” The crackle of static could be heard over the edges of the distress signal as it spoke over the bridge speakers but the voice on the other end remained calm. It was oddly mysterious that the signal was on an old-style Theta-band frequency … a form of communication that hadn’t been used by any Starfleet or civilian vessel since the twenty-second century.

“The’vaun ar’rasha. The’vaun ar’rasha,” it began again, only the signal sounded a little more cleared because of the computer’s attempts to clear it up. There was only enough of the signal for the Universal Translator to decipher. The signal was enough for the ship’s sensors to trace the destination of the transmitting starship or escape pod, space station or probe – whatever it was – couldn’t be far away off of their charted course.

Sitting in his chair, Captain Durzan listened carefully to the distress message while he didn’t recognize the language of it at all. He looked over at Lieutenant Commander Narensky, his operations officer. “Any luck with located the source of that signal, Miss Narensky?”

The blonde paid painstaking attention to the panel and the readouts in front of her before making her report. “Our sensors have triangulated that the source of the transmission is twenty-five light-years from our current position. I can’t tell yet from the data available here but I think that it might be in motion, sir.”

“Are you planning to investigate, Captain?,” Rebecca Windsong, the ship’s first officer asked but got no answer. Their mandate from Starfleet required the Triton to investigate such peculiar circumstances such as this mysterious distress signal.

“Mister Pasko,” Durzan said, looking at the young lieutenant sitting at the helm,” increase our speed to Warp Seven and change course to intercept.”

“Aye, sir,” came the youngster’s instant response and the ship flew unerringly to its new destination after the course change – and a proximity-hazard alarm sounded after a few moments.

“Captain,” Narensky said with urgency,” it’s three meters from our hull!”
Whatever ‘it’ was, the forward viewer wasn’t capable of showing anything but space rushing by at faster-than-light speeds. It was most likely that it was skirting by the starship at a point near it where the sensors couldn’t retain a visual scan of it.

The Betazoid stood up from his command chair. “Report on the vessel, Commander Narensky?”

“It’s a small spacecraft, measuring at a length of 235 meters, a height of 80 meters and a width of 195 meters,” she reported. “We might endure a slight impact to our navigational shields because of the vessel’s proximity but its trajectory will pass right by us.”

“It doesn’t appear to have any weapons or any kind of defensive shielding that I recognize, Captain,” the bridge tactical officer reported.

“Or anything that our sensors could detect,” he agreed with him. “Helm, correct our course. Bring us within transporter range.”

“Planning on sending an away team over, sir?,” Windsong asked from her seat on the captain’s right. The look on her face told him that there was no way that he was taking her place at the head of the away team.

“Yes, but we’ll still take precautions towards our First Contact procedures, Number One.”

Thoughts and memories about the last alien vessel that the Triton encountered sent him into a momentary flashback. It had been in a small area of the Beta Quadrant with a race called the Hamiri whose technological capabilities resembled 22nd century Earth. Suspicions had run high within the Hamiri hierarchy and a battle had occurred before the statures of the Prime Directive could take effect. The crew had nearly lost their lives and their ship if the natural enemies of the Hamiri, the Yathians hadn’t shown up to intervene. The Charleston-class starship had escaped as both races had fought over which of them would welcome the United Federation of Planets to their home world.

“The UFO’s moving at Warp Seven but judging from its navigational vector, it seems to be out of control,” Lieutenant J.G. Sean Pasko reported from the helm. He was the son of a Starfleet admiral who Durzan owed many favors. After graduating from Starfleet Academy a year ago, the young pilot was given the opportunity to see the galaxy as the helmsman of one of the ships out at the foremost of exploration. He looked back at Emeri. “With such an erratic course, they’re a danger to the sector.”

“Save your observations for yourself, Mister Pasko,” Windsong scolded him before the captain could say anything.

“Have you been able to identify the language used in the message?”

“Captain, any sentient or artificial lifeform that we encounter are alien to us in the beginning,” one of the bridge officers on the port side of the bridge answered. “My scans show that Contact #00504 has a classification of eight on the Hodgkins’ Chart of Technological Advancement.”

“Now you just sound like a Vulcan,” the telepath said to the officer, frowning. He hated being sized up by smarter people.

“That would be logical as I am a Vulcan,” the officer said with a raised eyebrow.

“Anything else, Mr. Seltus?,” Windsong asked, standing up from her seat and moving to stand beside Durzan.

“My lingual analysis is still ongoing, Commander,” the Vulcan reported, turning back to his instruments,” but our forward sensors have analyzed the configuration of the vessel. It is an interstellar generational vessel of a race known as the Sharfi.” His eyes blinked randomly at the data downloading from the ship’s computers on his screen. “The U.S.S. Daniel Boone, NCC-21204, a Miranda-class vessel commanded by Captain Rafael Toler, encountered a damaged Sharfi vessel called Dreaming on Stardate 2018238.1 in the Daetra system.”

“What were their original findings on these Sharfi? Did Starfleet make any decisions about that encounter?,” Emeri asked him, crossing his arms over his chest. He was a tad concerned about the First Contact protocols that had changed since the Dominion War. Admiral Janeway had spelled them out for him before the Triton had left the Sol system and those protocols hadn’t been very helpful with the Hamiri encounter.

“The conclusions drawn by Captain Toler and his science officer support the possibility that the Sharfi were still a five on the Hodgkins’ Chart. There was also no decision made by Starfleet at the time about the possibilities of further First Contact attempts. The Sharfi have been labeled off-limits until further research can be conducted by a fully-equipped exploration vessel.”

“Well, we are on a mission of exploration,” Windsong piped in.

Seltus disagreed with that assessment. “The Triton is a multi-cultural – “

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Durzan interrupted him with a nod,” your analysis has been invaluable.” He looked ahead at Pasko. “What’s the contact’s course and speed?”

“Still at Warp Seven, sir. Shall I increase speed to Warp Seven-point-nine to keep up with her?”

“Maintain course but increase speed.” Tapping his combadge, the captain said,” Durzan to Engineering.”

It took a moment for someone to respond. “Engineering, this is Heidenbach.” This was his assistant chief.
“
Pull Commander Delacroix out of whatever do-dad that he’s tinkering with and put him on the line.” This order drew a smile from Windsong. A few moments later and the strong French accent of the Triton’s chief engineer filled the bridge.

“What do you want? I’m busy,” he said in a friendly but gruff tone that seemed almost scary to the younger members of the bridge crew.

“Can you warm up the transporter? I want to beam an away team over to the ship that we’re chasing after.”

“You mean that large cow of a vessel that pulls at high warp speeds without any hassles? With no trouble at all?”

“Why? Are you having some trouble down there, Pete?,” Durzan asked him, using his nickname for the engineer. No one else could get away with calling him that except for his friend, Lieutenant Pasko. Most of the crew respectfully called him ‘Delacroix’, ‘Commander’, or by his given name ‘Pierre’. “Are we having trouble maintaining speed?”

“At warp seven? No, but the warp core is beginning to show some strain if we hit warp nine and maintain it for a while. I told Starfleet that it needed replacing.” The Frenchman paused for a moment as one of his engineers needed his attention before he spoke again. “The transporter is ready for you to stink it up with your DNA, Captain, but I can’t guarantee that they’ll be successful at this range. That ship can make distances faster than us. I wouldn’t be surprised if it had quantum slipstream technology like those new Vesta-class darlings.”

“Good work, Pete,” Durzan said, tapping off his combadge.

The alien vehicle was now visible on the main viewer and it loomed closer for a moment to the Triton, changing from an erratic course of flight to a more normal pattern. Pasko saw this and corrected his course without consulting either the captain or the first officer. Neither officer objected at all to the young man’s initiative.

“Captain?,” the gray-haired Seltus spoke up from his science station.

Looking at him, he raised an eyebrow in question. “Yes, Mr. Seltus?”

The Vulcan stood up from his seat and walked over to stand beside him in the center of the bridge. “Sensors,” he said in a low tone,” have detected small traces of a preanimate power source at the heart of that vessel, Captain. I have no hypothesis at the moment but if we were to accidentally destroy it, it would alter the flow of subspace in this sector for more than a hundred years to come.”

“Pre-animate?,” Durzan questioned with an alert expression before he turned back to the viewscreen. ‘What kind of aliens are these people?,’ he asked himself. He was reminded instantly of the Genesis Incident of the 2280s because of the rumors that it had used preanimate matter or protomatter in its matrix. He was only happy so far that the sensors hadn’t shown anything on that ship to implement the Omega Directive known only to Starship Captains and senior members of Starfleet.

He sighed heavily, sensing the tense frustration and fear of his crew. “What would happen if we were to beam over there?”

“I believe that nothing would occur. It would depend on the materials used in the construction of the vessel and the strength of its structural integrity field. Its inertial dampeners,” the Vulcan said, his attention returning to his instruments as he walked back to it,” appear to be slightly damaged from some form of onboard sabotage or accident.”

“What about shields?,” Windsong asked, bringing herself into the conversation.

“I’m still not detecting anything that we would deem as shields, Commander,” the tactical officer answered in Seltus’ stead.

“Commander Windsong,” the captain said, addressing his second-in-command,” prepare an away team.”

“Aye, sir.”

Looking around the Triton’s bridge, the Betazoid looked at each and every member of his bridge crew. “Well, let’s not just stand around here, admiring the scenery! Let’s be about it, ladies and gentlemen!”

[Captain Universe]

Pierre Delacroix and Sean Pasko, friends and partners-in-crime, were in Transporter Room Three, helping security officers, engineers and scientific personnel into EVA suits while checking over their equipment and their weapons. Doctor Dal khaap Ghran, the Tellarite assigned to the Triton as a civilian science consultant in a variety of fields, was briefing every member of the away team about what they could be expected to encounter once they beamed aboard the alien vessel. He was a loud and obnoxious creature that not many people liked.

“… and everyone should remain in their suits at all times until Medical has --,” the short-sized alien carried on without noticing the arrival of Captain Durzan. The space of thirty minutes had passed since he ordered the preparations for an away team to beam over to the alien vessel. He didn’t show it but he was upset that they were still in the midst of preparations because of the detail-oriented demands of the fussy Tellarite scientist.

‘I don’t care if his brother is a Starfleet officer, he’s a pain in my ass,’ he thought.

“Captain on deck!,” shouted Lieutenant Diane Wheeler, the Triton’s chief of security before she and the rest of the Starfleet personnel in the transporter room snapped to attention. She nodded to him after he had set them at ease.

“We’re keeping up with the contact as fast as the Triton can go,” he told them. “Normally, we’d be reeling them in like the catch of the day with the tractor-beam but with our engines needed to maintain the pursuit, we’re pushing everything we’ve got into them.” He turned to Windsong who was still in the midst of putting her suit on. “Once you’re aboard, you’ll be alone because we need to slow down or we’ll burn out our warp coils. Now I intend to follow you at a distance and we will do everything and I mean, everything, to get you back.”

He looked at Pasko who was helping one of the security guards with putting her helmet on. “That’s why,” he continued,” I’m only sending volunteers from the Starfleet personnel aboard. Mr. Delacroix?”

“Yes, Captain?,” the French engineer asked, almost stumbling over pieces of equipment as he walked over towards him.

“Suit up, Pete. You and Mr. Pasko just volunteered to beam over with Windsong and the security officers.”

“Aye, sir.”

“What about me, you pinkskined bastard?,” Ghran demanded to know.
Durzan could sense the anger and confusion in the Tellarite’s mind before he even turned to look at him. “What? Oh, Doctor Ghran, there you are.”

“Yes, and I demand to accompany the away team!”
“I’d rather sent the disembodied spirit of my aunt Fanny over there than you, you stinky mud-bather.”

“WHAT?!,” the scientist exploded with rage like a volcano eruption. “I am the chief civilian authority on this boat and I –“

“Ship, Doctor Ghran,” Delacroix said with an evil eye. “It’s pronounced ‘ship’.”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass, Delacroix! I am the chief civilian authority aboard this ship and I demand – “ His adamant tone strained both the captain’s ears and mind since he could hear him in both. The Tellarite’s face was a dark red as he made his argument to Captain Durzan.

“—to stay, Doctor,” the telepath said, finishing his sentence for the doctor. “I cannot risk the lives of any of the civilians on this ship for this mission. Lieutenant Wheeler, Commander Windsong, and the others are sufficient enough to beam over and investigate this Sharfi vessel.”

“The Sharfi? I’ve been studying them since the Boone discovered them at Daetra and you want me to stay aboard?! You’re an idiot, you know that? The biggest dumb Betazoid to command a –“

“Are you quite done, Doctor?”

“NO! Are you glitched?!”

“Maybe,” Emeri said with his expressions remaining as hard as a wall of stone. “Look, Doctor, I want you to monitor the away team from the bridge.”

“I demand that an official protest be entered into the log, right now!,” Ghran argued before he stormed past several of his colleagues and out of the transporter room. The captain watched him and the other nonessential personnel leave before he returned his attention to the others. His dark-haired Native American first officer walked up beside him and cast a questioning look on him.

“He’ll make all the protests that he wants, Captain, especially with his brother serving on the Ranger.”

“At least you don’t have to deal with that sourpuss.” The Betazoid sighed for a moment, looking back at her. “I don’t care if he has contacts in President Bacco’s office, he’s not the captain of this ship.”

“I would hate to see you go, sir, if he had his way.”

“Rebecca,” the Betazoid said,” in my experience, scientists tend to have one-track minds when they believe that the world revolves around them, their discoveries and their inventions. They tend to forget that it’s the soldiers, the diplomats who keep them safe,” he pointed at Wheeler,” and it’s the explorers,” and with that part of his speech, he smiled,” that give them their little problems to solve.” He looked almost prophetic and sentimental at this point. “Doctor Ghran can make as many protests as he wants until the dragonhawks fly home for the summer but it’ll be you, Pete, Wheeler, Pasko and three security guards putting your necks on the line.”

“Three?,” the security chief whined. “It could be dangerous over there, Captain.”

“Oh, I know that you’ll have that mek’leth that your husband gave you to keep you safe. Besides do you ladies need me to hold your hands over there? Because you won’t climb the ladder of promotion with that kind of attitude.”

“We’ll get it done, Emeri, and without any handholding,” Delacroix said, stepping up onto the transporter platform.

“Be safe. That’s an order,” were his last words to the away team before he left them to finish their preparations.

[Captain Universe]

They materialized inside of what could only be described as a rather large cargo hold that opened up into a corridor that was as wide as a stadium. The blue energy of the transporter beam soon dissipated and Rebecca Windsong, Pierre Delacroix, Sean Pasko, Diane Wheeler, and three security guards by the names of Connors, Tomlinson, and Myers stood in the middle of it.

“Ok, let’s do it by the numbers, guys,” Wheeler said, lifting her phaser rifle up over the back of her bulk EVA suit. The sultry dark-skinned women looked at her men with an air of authority in her violet-hued eyes. “Connors, you and Myers take up the rear. I’ll be in the center with Delacroix and Pasko. Tomlinson, you stick to the command and I want to hear sexual harassment charges. Stick to her like gagh.”

“I think I should complain just for you saying that,” the first officer joked.
“Sean, come along and don’t forget my tools,” Delacroix said to Pasko as they started to move out of the area. Their surroundings almost looked organic with silver and blue shapes covering them. They almost looked like they changed in both design and color-filled hue like a kaleidoscope.

“I don’t think the captain send me along to carry your crap, sir,” the pilot commented sarcastically while he carried a large equipment pack on his back. The two men were as close as brothers since the Frenchman had taken the younger man under his wing once he had come aboard the Triton for his first assignment after graduation. “Why didn’t you bring your assistant?”

“Heidenbach must watch my darlings while I’m away. They can be jealous if any other man touches them.”

“Like those two Orion women on Ardarus Five?”

“Like them,” the engineer said, remembering their last shore leave.

“[Triton... ay team…,” a static-charged transmission came over the communicator in Windsong’s helmet. The voice on the other end of the transmission was Lieutenant Commander Narensky.

“Windsong here,” the commander said, speaking into her helmet. She continued to walk at the head of the team with Tomlinson walking beside her. The security guard held his phaser rifle at the ready while she and Delacroix scanned the vicinity with their tricorders. The Nez Perce was searching for lifeforms while the Frenchman was searching for the ship’s power source or for any sign of the alien vessel’s technology. “We’ve arrived safely, Captain. We’re looking around and –“

The commander and her security escort were struck overhead by something unidentifiable. It pulled them away before they could react or before any other member of their team could notice their disappearance. When Delacroix didn’t hear her speaking anymore, he turned to see that they were gone. He looked around and only saw Pasko beside him. Within one brief instance, the first officer and the security personnel had disappeared in one fair swoop.

“What the –“

The engineer didn’t get to finish his sentence before unconsciousness welcomed him with its tight embrace.



“What do you mean, she was there but now she isn’t?,” Durzan asked Lieutenant Commander Narensky. He had been pacing the bridge behind the ops and helm consoles since returning from the transporter room. He was worried.

“She answered my first hail, sir, then dropped off in the middle of communications,” Amber said with the same trace of concern in her voice.

“Captain!,” Doctor Ghran announced loudly from beside Seltus at the port science console. The Vulcan was probably the only member of the crew who didn’t have little voodoo dolls of the Tellarite scientist hidden in their quarters.

“What, Doctor?,” he asked, turning to face him.

“We just did a scan of this sector,” the civilian said, directing the Betazoid’s attention to the display on the screen in front of him. His dark brown eyes showed a sparkle of fascination with the wealth of data poring in before him. “The alien vessel just looped over the territorial space of the Rkala Compact and back into Federation-held space. In fact, it should bring it closer to Starbase 307 and the Federation colony in the Hetayli system if it remains on its current course.”

“Our sensors should have already detected one of the Rkalans’ territorial sensor arrays upon entering this region of space but we have not yet,” Seltus added to the conversation.

“What about us? We must have violated their territory while following that thing. Or did we come close at our current speed?” With the Triton shadowing the alien vessel at Warp Four, the captain was concerned about the possibilities of taking the crew into battle. The Rkala Compact had once been a member of the Federation for as long as Earth, Andor, Tellar, and Vulcan but their government had closed off their borders and all forms of outside communication when the Dominion War had broken out. It was rumored by passing cargo freighters and some of the more reputable merchant captains that the Rkalans had fought a disastrous civil war between military forces loyal to their President and to one of their top military commanders. This civil war had devastated both sides enough to bring about peace and the election of a new government. They were still in the process, according to Starfleet Intelligence, of rebuilding their star system after the war and the deceptions created by the Warlord Ssordna and the government of Sarkon Twelve. Because of their recent history, the new Rkalan government and its military was distrustful of anyone crossing over into their territory without permission, even Starfleet.

“We already did,” Ghran said,” but they didn’t seem to see us.”

Looking at Seltus, the captain moved back across the bridge to sit down in his command chair. “Continue monitoring that ship and watch out for any uninvited guests.” He looked at Narensky at ops. “Amber, you know what I want you to do.”

“If you want me to wave my magic wand and make communications work,” she said, sarcastically,” I’ll give it a try but – “

“Don’t try, Commander. Do it,” her captain ordered adamantly.

“Aye, sir.”

Ghran snarled at the exchange between them before returning his attention to his sensor scans. ‘Damn pinkskins and their idiotic humor,’ he thought and after fifteen minutes of scanning ahead of their route, the Tellarite was starting to get tired. But then he saw something in the active sensor scans of the alien vessel. The Triton’s civilian science consultant, an expert in xeno-sociology and a variety of other scientific disciplines, saw the Vulcan science officer return his gaze.

“What is it, Doctor Ghran?,” he asked him, calmly. His question drew the attention of Captain Durzan who turned in his chair towards them.

“The vessel,” he muttered with surprise,” it’s… it’s preparing… to open a conduit… a frakking transwarp conduit!”

“WHAT?!,” could be heard when Durzan released his frustration.

The Tellarite turned towards him. “Don’t they teach you Starfleeters anything at that fancy academy of yours besides bad grooming habits? That ship is building up its energy reserves, you moron! It’s transferring the power to create a transwarp conduit!”

“How long till it opens, Doctor?,” Seltus asked.

“Ten minutes and counting, you pointy-eared bastard!,” Ghran shouted, typing instructions into his console.

Durzan turned back towards the front of the bridge, seeing the vessel ahead of them starting to increase its speed. It was sharply pulling away from the Triton without any difficulties. “Damn,” he muttered before tapping his combadge. “Durzan to Engineering!”

“Engineering. This is Heidenbach, sir,” the assistant chief engineer, Lieutenant Gene Heidenbach responded over the intercom.

“Heidenbach, did Commander Delacroix ever get those improvements for a quantum slipstream matrix finished?”

“Starfleet never sent us the schematics for it, sir. The chief told me that they were sticking those engines in Vesta-class ships and not Charleston-class ships like Triton.”

“Did he do it anyways?” Durzan knew his chief engineer and if it was something that would benefit the ship, then he would have made the improvements, whether or not Starfleet Command approved it. “Because we’ve got less than ten minutes before that ship opens a transwarp conduit to who knows where!”

“What about our tractor-beams?” This idea came from Lieutenant Taavr, the Tandaran assistant security chief who was manning Tactical in Lieutenant Wheeler’s absence.

“What about them, Mr. Taavr?,” Durzan asked, turning around to face him.

“Well, couldn’t we just grapple the ship and catch a ride with it?”

“What about it, Mr. Heidenbach?”
“Sir, I would need twenty minutes, at the very least, to synchronize the main energizers with the fusion reactors in the saucer section. Plus I would need another ten minutes to coordinate with –“

“Oh, Great Deity, do I have to do everything myself?!,” Ghran shouted over the assistant chief engineer’s complaints. He started inputting formulas and information into the ship’s computer. “I can have the tractor-beam powered and ready before that moron, Captain Durzan, sir.”

“So we can grapple the ship and follow it into the conduit?”

“Yes, and then once we’re inside the conduit, one of your crackerjack pilots can set a course and heading to navigate through it.” It was impressive and Durzan smiled, happy that Ghran was along with them.

“I guess you’re not a complete drain on ship’s resources. Nayel-Galash?,” the Betazoid said, standing up from his seat. His dark eyes moved to Pasko’s relief at the helm, a Grazerite ensign name Nayel-Galash who like the lieutenant was on her first mission after graduation. The pilot’s hands moved across her board, calculating the course that they would need to keep up with the alien ship once they were inside the transwarp conduit.

“I’ve calculated our course, sir and if we keep up with Invader, our exit point should be somewhere near Starbase 307.”

“Did you get all of that, Mr. Heidenbach?”

“Well, I guess if Doctor Ghran can do it better than we poor idiots down here…,” the engineer began. He paused before continuing,” “I’ll get the tractor-beam ready, sir.”

Lieutenant Commander Narensky, as acting first officer in the absence of Commander Windsong, instantly opened a ship-wide channel that carried throughout the ship, her instincts and experience showing before the order could be given by Durzan. “All hands,” she said over the intercom,” this is the Bridge. All decks, prepare for emergency maneuvers! This is not a drill! I repeat, not a drill! We are transitioning in –“

“Five minutes, Blondie,” Ghran offered with a leer.

“ – five minutes. All section chiefs and department heads report your readiness to the Bridge,” the operations manager continued while everyone aboard the Charleston-class starship prepared for the dangers of their first transwarp flight. It had been three years since the Triton had left spacedock at the New Seattle Yards in the Marcan system and they were still making waves in the sea of space.

Durzan held his gaze to the forward view screen. Shapes and lines etched into the hull glowed brightly with a yellowish outline of energy while it prepared to establish a transwarp conduit. Voices over the bridge intercom could be heard while they prepared to join them for the ride of the century.

“Sickbay ready,” came Doctor Eilrin, the chief medical officer’s voice.
“Engineering ready. Tractor-beam at your command, Doctor Ghran.” Heidenbach.
“Active and passive sensor systems locked down,” Lieutenant Ahnathaela sh’Neiaa, the Andorian shen who was the officer-in-charge of the ship’s sensor pod, reported over the intercom.
“All phaser banks, torpedo tubes and probe launch systems are locked down and secure,” Chief Petty Officer Samid al-Nazar, one of the weapons technicians from deep within the bowels of the ship.
“Science section closed down for business,” came the snide remark of Doctor Ghran in lieu of Lieutenant Seltus who was occupied with his other duties.
“Shuttle Bays One and Two are safe and sound as are the hangar decks,” said Lieutenant Heirah, the Benzite flight commander.
“The Combat Information Center is secure and ready,” also spoke Lieutenant Zaft, one of the members of Narensky’s staff.
“We appear to be ready, Captain,” Lieutenant Commander Narensky announced from her place at Ops.
Secure in his own seat, Emeri Durzan gripped his armrests firmly before he gave his next order. “Activate tractor-beam and engage!”With the tractor-beams shooting out of the bow of the Triton’s saucer and drive sections, the Federation starship followed the alien vessel when it entered its transwarp conduit. And away they both were.

[Captain Universe]

Chapter Two


The music bubbled and swirled, string and wind instruments blended and separated their melodies in an intricate dance. It was a delight to the lightly-furred ears canted back to keep the warm water out. Similarly the eyes were closed and the nostrils pinched shut while soap-laden droplets streamed over the face and mops of shoulder-length caramel hair. Baths with real water were a luxury aboard the Cradle but the ship was in spacedock and that meant that such luxuries were available.

“You had the music so loud that you couldn’t hear the door chime, huh?” The voice was accompanied by a swirl of cool air and its familiarity prompted little less reaction than a twitch of those ears.

“Shut the door and leave me alone, Sokai. I’m on leave,” the bather complained, gesturing with a bar of soap. ‘A scandalous image that anyone of a non-felinoid race would find strange,’ she thought with a smile. “You’re on leave too if I’m not mistaken, thausheian.”

Sokai leaned indolently on the frame of the bathtub. “Scuttlebutt around the Wheel says that the flight’s on again, my cousin. We’ll probably be recalled to duty faster than you can towel off.” He smirked at the irony. Shore leave had just been declared for the Cradle crew by the leadership council two days ago after the last flight had been on hold. The emissary knew Aerashai well enough that she hadn’t truly began to relax yet.

“You know better than to believe every little rumor that you hear in some anonymous bar,” chided Aerashai, shaking a soapy forefinger at her old friend. “Now close the door – you’re letting in a draft – and get yourself out of here. Go enjoy yourself. That’s an or-“

A pain in her head and Aerashai opened her eyes as the dream escaped her. With her blue-violet eyes, she looked around the compartment that she was imprisoned in, recognizing it easily. It was dirty and filled with the scent of body odor, vomit, blood, and death. The Sharfi remembered that this room had once been her private work chamber aboard the Cradle before Ch’vhare had captured the ship. They had been undertaking their first flight into exploration using a new propulsion drive called transwarp.

She looked around and saw two unusual bipedal creatures lying unconscious on the floor beside her. They were humanoids unlike the ones that her history reels had taught her during her elementary education back on Sharfiyt. Lifting her head slightly, the weight of the Implant rested against her neck bone, aching from the terrible way that she had adapted to sleep with it after its implantation.

Confined by chains in this compartment, Lieutenant Commander Pierre Delacroix noticed that his comrades were beginning to return to consciousness as easily as he had. They had lost Crewman Connors when one of the aliens had attacked him after their incarceration, eating his corpse after he died violently. Myers and Tomlinson had met their own fates in the same fashion after they had been herded to this compartment and relieved of their EVA suits and other equipment. Hopefully, they were breathing oxygen and not some deadly airborne gas.

When Commander Windsong wouldn’t cooperate with their captor’s demands for information on the Triton, they had executed Lieutenant Wheeler like the other security officers. Of course from his own observations, the felinoids from the original crew appeared to have been altered into some Frankenstein version of reptilians to appear much like their leader. And those observations had only been from the few times that he was conscious when they forced him to get their highly-advanced ship to work for them. Based upon all of the mysterious alien technologies that he had encountered during his twenty-plus years in Starfleet, Delacroix had come through for Pasko, Windsong, and himself while regretting the loss of the security officers.

“S-sir… is… are we… are we all right?,” the young man asked him.

“For now but we lost Wheeler and the security people.”

The young lieutenant pulled himself up into a sitting position and felt something different. Reaching around the back of his neck, he felt the Implant. It had been fitting into their necks once they had been captured. “Damn,” he breathed, feeling the advanced nuances of the device and the residual pain involved with it.

“I looked at that little gem while you were sleep, my friend. I think that Doctor Eilrin could remove them with some of that biomedical tech that he has sitting around Sickbay.” He scanned the room with the unsophisticated scanner that the aliens had clipped to his left arm. The skin around its location had broken out in blisters and sore from the crude installation process.

‘I feel like a Borg with this,’ he thought.

The aliens’ original equipment had been destroyed through some act of sabotage on their slaves’ part. They had given the Triton engineer one of the scanners that they had jury-rigged for the work that they had demanded of him.

“Removing the Implant will kill you sooner than the Cha’saiyn will, friends,” a kind female voice said from the shadows of the chambers. She was bent over Commander Windsong, examining her injuries. Raising her eyes to look at him, both men saw that she was small, alien, and almost like the other individuals who walked the decks of this spacecraft. Except that she didn’t appear to be infected with reptilian enhancements.

“Why is that?,” Pasko asked, suspiciously.

“Trust me, you must. Its detonation will incinerate you whole if you continue to abuse it.” She was also saddled with the Implant like they were by the way she held her head downward. This fact was apparent when she bared her neck to show him the Implant that stuck out of the back of her neck.

“Who… what did this to you… and to us?”

“Ch’vhare… we were on our first flight and… and… we found him…”

“Found him? Who are you?,” Pasko asked her with a friendly lilt in his voice. He stood up and walked over towards her, lowering himself down to his haunches on the opposite of the unconscious Windsong.

“You may call me… Aerashai…,” she said, almost unfamiliar with their language. Thankfully the technology of the Implant allowed to understand one another.

“Who is this… this Ch’vhare?”

“Ch’vhare…,” she began to weave her tale with a shudder,” is a Cha’saiyn pirate who we discovered far away from our world out in the Great Empty. We took him aboard… fed him… cared for him and… and…” She shuddered again from the chill of fear that her memories brought back to her. “He deceived us… killed my brother, our Leader… enslaving most of my people in their stasis pods.” Tears flowed down from her tear ducts, her face moist while those memories caused her more pain in the telling of her story than in remembering it. “Only our emissary Sokai and I were conscious when… when he took our vessel. I…I am only still alive because… because I am the Caretaker.”

“We’ll… we’ll help you,” Sean blurted our, mesmerized by her.

“How can you offer your help to me when you are in need of help yourselves?”

“Good question,” Commander Windsong groaned with a heavy sigh. She opened her eyes, looking at Pasko and Aerashai looking down at her. It was then that the holding area suddenly started to hum with the sounds of wings buzzing overhead in the background. The chamber melted away around them almost like a hologram but Delacroix realized that a transporter had to be in effect. The Cha’saiyn hybrids that Ch’vhare had created with his biological assimilation process flew around the Starfleet officers and Aerashai by the hundreds. Windsong looked around and realized that they were in some kind of cargo bay, almost like the area that they had beamed aboard in. With the use of the ship’s technology, there was bleachers shaped around the room, giving it an amphitheater effect.

Oddly enough, these Sharfi-Cha’saiyn abominations had skin tones that were only slightly graduated shades of honeyed-tan like Aerashai and forest-green like Ch’vhare himself. There was silence, at last, when everyone took their seats… and the creature that Delacroix assumed was this Ch’vhare that Aerashai had mentioned before… he looked at the entire assembly that looked back at him with mixtures of awe, respect, and mindless loyalty. Intelligence glittered in the calm, serious eyes that looked at Windsong, Delacroix, Pasko and Aerashai when they finally settled down upon them. As he lifted up a hand in a slow form of a beckoning gesture, he held up a sphere in the palms of both hands, each of them brimming with energy.

“Careful,” Aerashai whispered to the Triton’s first officer,” those spheres are armed and dangerous.”

“What are they?,” the Nez Perce asked.

“Rrish tavet,” Ch’vhare pronounced with a sneer in his own language, his eyes hardening while his firm but displeased voice carried over the mass assembly,” yatet cherityr du vhaunshii. Rruch tevikt seyn k’sshao xerreldhi gunithew?” His weapon-bearing arms extended quickly towards the Starfleeters and though his expression was both outraged and stern, the motion and the trigger was definitely controlled; intended for emphasis. Though the Universal Translators in their heads couldn’t translate the words into anything meaningful yet, the gist of this pirate’s words was clear.

They were dead meat.

‘How should we respond to the crimes that this ‘Ch’vhare’ has committed? I mean… how long… how long has it bean since these people became slaves to this… this creature?,’ Rebecca asked herself. All of the patiently waiting followers of the Hive turned to watch the Starfleet officers and their so-called leader, some of them with curiosity, some of them with angry expectancy that you could see from extensive brainwashing, and few of them with the skepticism that their natural thoughts would soon return to them.

Pasko stepped forward with his hands raised up in surrender. Windsong wanted to pull him back but the Implant decided at that time to hit them both with a blast of excruciating pain. Both of them bent down in pain, shaking from seizures that the attack caused them.

“I… we… come in p-peace…,” the naïve lieutenant struggled to speak, though it earned him a dubious glance filled with suspicion from Ch’vhare. “We’re…. we-we’re explorers… sent from a-another world to-to –“

“I have seen your ships and your people!,” Ch’vhare barked back at him with unrestrained anger that made the pilot’s gaze harden. “You mammals build where you are not wanted! You tarnish the land and everything that you touch, fouling it and taking what is not yours! You kill wherever you go! You,” he empathized with one of the spheres in his right hand,” are not welcome here! This is my ship! You will become one with the Hive! You will serve me!”

“Oh, save us the monologue,’ Windsong thought, frowning.

“Oh, Lord Ch’vhare, my master, have I not served you well over the last few rotation cycles? Could we not just send them back to whence they came from?,” Aerashai asked her captor in a sweet logical tone. “The ship… the ship tells us that their ship follows us close by… Even now… other aliens seek to discover knowledge of us through force –“

“You were told to never access the database of the sensors without my acquiescence, you Sharfi whore!,” the Cha’saiyn hissed with anger before he pressed a button on one of his wrist gauntlets. It was the controller module for the Implant and it sent pain through her like it did to Pasko and Windsong only moments before. Pain gripped at Aerashai’s sides and she gripped her midsection, dropping down to her knees.

“—call – called … ‘Rkalans’!,” she murmured, choking with pain as the Implant forced compliance onto her and the Starfleet personnel that she had only befriended a few moments before.

“SILENCE!”

“We could ask them for – “

“I said silence!,” Ch’vhare barked down at her from his podium high above her, pressing the Implant control stud again. He pointed the sphere in his right hand at the Starfleeters again. “You will answer for the crimes that you commit against the Hive! The Hive demands it!”

With a wave of his arm, he gestured again with the sphere in his right hand at the followers that he had created out of his biological assimilation. “These have had family murdered … killed and weaponless out in the Wilds! Slaughtered and helpless in their stasis pods! I woke them! I protected them! I prepared them for the future!”
‘Why didn’t I stay in bed this morning?,’ Pierre thought to himself. ‘This guy makes the Borg look tame!’

[Captain Universe]

Emeri Durzan recognized a battle when he saw one.

Just moments after the Triton crew secured their ship from their passage through the alien vessel’s transwarp conduit, the Charleston-class starship found itself facing a battle cruiser of the Rkala Compact. They were trespassing in a sector controlled by the Federation and guarded by Starbase 307. Communications hadn’t been established with the Starbase crew yet while they dealt with the situation already ahead of them. This was now a much larger state of affairs now and it left the Betazoid with several concerns.

‘Why would the Rkalans assault a starbase? Especially one inside a Federation sector?,’ he asked himself while he thought about the logic of those questions. Since travel through the conduit had been over seventeen hours, he had retreated to the solitude of his ready room for a short nap after being threatened by his ship’s chief medical officer.

“Report,” he asked, walking out of his ready room. He walked over to the middle of the bridge and sat down in his command chair.

“The Rkalan commander is hailing us, sir,” Narensky reported from Ops. With an earpiece in her right ear, the blonde looked away from her board for a moment before putting the transmission through to the main viewer. “Our computer records have identified him as a Commander Rui’lon.”

‘A senior member of the Rkalan military? Here? What did I do to deserve this?’

“Amber,” the captain addressed her,” inform security that we might have to repel boarders. If I remember my history correctly, the Rkalans have a knack for getting through an opponent’s shields in record time.”

“Boarding parties, sir?,” the tan-skinned woman from Los Angeles asked him. Her eyes widened with anticipation and he could sense her uneasiness. “Are you sure?”

“Trust me, Miss Narensky. Starfleet has had dealings with the Rkalans for a long time.”

“I’ll get Security mustered for action, sir,” Taavr responded from behind him. “If the Rkalans get aboard, we should have one hell of a fight on our hands.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, Lieutenant,” Durzan said.

“Aye, aye, sir.”

'If those bastards make any attempts to board my ship, it’ll be one big can of worms to clean up later,’ the captain thought before he stood up from his command chair. Walking over to stand in front of the helm and ops consoles, he could pick up the surface thoughts of Narensky and Nayel-Galash. Their feelings were focused on the current situation and he closed his eyes to block them out of his own mind.

“Go ahead and put that Commander Rui’lon on the main screen, please,” he ordered her after opening his eyes.

“Patching through the signal now, Captain.”

An image of the olive-maned Commander Rui’lon appeared before him on the main viewscreen. Wearing obsidian-colored body armor, the Rkalan had dark purplish skin, yellow eyes and cranial ridges that ran down the entire length of his head, from his forehead to the base of his throat. Both he and Durzan stared at each other, the latter clouding his mind with his telepathic shields. Preventing the Rkalan leader from reading his thoughts, the Betazoid captain had read up on the military tactics and civilization of the Rkala Compact and their military leaders during his most recent off-duty period. Though he had some dealings with the Rkalans as a young lieutenant on his first assignment, this was one of those times that he wished he wasn’t alone with just the Triton.

A sentence in untranslatable Rkalan could be heard before the translation matrix kicked in. “… mmander Rui’lon of the Rkalan Second Battalion. Federation vessel, you and your cohort have violated Rkalan...,” spoke from the speakers which made the captain snort at his opponent’s lies.

“Open all frequencies, Commander Narensky. I want to address the lies of this… this pe'taQ,” he said, the Klingon word showing off his knowledge of languages before he addressed the alien commander. “This is Captain Emeri Durzan of the Federation starship Triton and I would like you to state the nature of your presence in Federation space and within the vicinity of one of our starbases. You have ten minutes to respond before I answer in kind. Close channel.”

“Channel closed,” the operations manager confirmed.

“Red alert, all hands to battle stations. Charge phasers and load all torpedo tubes. I want readiness response times yesterday!” The bridge crew begin to feel the pressure and the heat of battle upon them. Anyone who served with him during the Dominion War knew how well Captain Durzan had commanded the Starship Aeolus while he shouted orders at them.

“They’re hailing us again, Captain,” Narensky said over the red alert klaxon that blared across the bridge. The illumination of the bridge had dimmed and red light were flashing.

“Screen on.”

“Surrender, Federation vessel and I will allow you, your crew and the crews of your starbase and the U.S.S. Tesla to depart from here unmolested,” Commander Rui’lon said after contact had been established between the Rkalan vessel and the Triton again. For a moment he wondered what the U.S.S. Tesla was and though a battle was in the beginning stages, the captain was trying to stick close to the ideals of the Federation that he believed it and try to resolve the situation with diplomacy.

“I beg to differ, Commander,” Durzan said, crossing his arms over his chest with a defiant glare in his eyes. “We detected that vessel several light-years from any territorial boundaries that the United Federation of Planets would happen to eve acknowledge as ever being yours. Now I have an away team aboard that ship and according to interstellar law, the time afforded for space salvage involve the presence of members of the salvaging vessel’s crew for a specific length of time. They’ve been aboard now for…” he couldn’t remember the exact time limit of the law,”… for several hours so that ship belongs to Starfleet and to the United Federation of Planets.”

“Don’t you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth, Captain Durzan? Don’t you smell the stink of death on your precious Federation? You attract all sorts of enemies! The Klingons, the Romulans, the Cardassians, the Borg, the Son’a, and the Dominion… they all want your hides nailed to the wall and now the Rkala Compact will have its chance to –“

Turning around towards Narensky, the Triton’s captain made a slashing signal across his neck and the alien on the viewscreen continued to speak but the audio was cut from the transmission. Turned away from the screen, he walked back towards the center of the bridge.

“He just speaking in monologues now, getting up on his soapbox while trying to find an excuse for placating us into accepting his terms. Especially when it comes to his possibly unauthorized attack on the starbase,” Durzan said, looking at the brunette sitting in the counselor’s chair. Lieutenant Commander Helen Noel was a longtime member of Starfleet who had served aboard Kirk’s Enterprise back during the 23rd century and because of a landing party assignment, she had accidentally ended up in 2372 just before the Dominion War had started. After acclimating herself to the new time period, the psychiatrist had rejoined Starfleet as a ship’s counselor.

“After hearing him speak,” Noel said, passing along her years of experience, even though physically the captain was older than her,” I would say that he believes that he’s protecting his people from what he perceives to be a threat from the outside.”

“What threat?”

“From the Invader and… from us.”

“Really? Us? And I’m such an easy-going fellow.”

“He’ll attack us and the starbase, despite diplomacy,” she continued. “Then he’ll destroy the alien ship and our away team to fulfill his own goals.”

“Yeah, this Rui’lon sounds like he doesn’t seem to frakking care about whether or not if he starts a war,” Ghran piped in.

“It would also beg the question about whether or not if he has reinforcements on their way,” Seltus said from beside the Tellarite civilian, adding his own advice to the conversation with his hand relaxed at his sides.

“Logic does have its way of being right even in the tightest of situations, Seltus,” the counselor commented, seeing the Betazoid captain clench his jaw and his face harden when he looked back at Rui’lon on the viewscreen. From everyone on the bridge, he could sense the tension that was the emotion of the day while red lights illuminated the bridge. There was some humor in the fact that even though the transmission was muted, the Rkalan commander was still talking to them like some kind of silent orator.

“Close channel,” he said with a nod to Narensky. Walking back to his seat, he sat down beside Noel and considered his options. With the away team stranded aboard the alien vessel, his hands were tied and he didn’t believe that Starfleet Command or the Federation Council would be happy at all if he started a war with the Rkalans. Especially with the reconstruction efforts that were still in progress after the end of the Dominion War.

“Amber, have you been able to reach anyone in authority at the starbase at all? An admiral or some Federation representative? Maybe even someone of the Tesla?”

“No, sir,” she answered. “It looks like their communications array took some hits in the initial bombardment from the Rkalans. I can't even hail the Tesla because of anti-leptons in the area.”

“And the starbase’s weapons were nearly exhausted before we showed up, sir, both phaser banks and torpedo stocks,” Lieutenant Taavr said. His race, the Tandarans, had been a member of the Federation for the last hundred and fifty years, though he was one of the first of his race to graduate from Starfleet Academy. When Durzan was putting his crew together during the Triton’s construction phase, it had been a minor coup for him when he was able to acquire the lieutenant’s services as assistant chief of security from Abenam Kallayn, the Zakdorn who commanded the U.S.S. Nova. He hadn’t appreciated the loss of one of his most valuable officers but then orders were orders even if it was impressive to be assigned to a Charleston-class starship like the Triton.

“What about their shields?,” Noel asked the acting chief of security.

“Sensors show that the base’s shields are at seventeen percent and close to failure.”

Durzan sighed, his mind running rampant with the decisions he had to make. The away team aboard the alien ship, the diplomatic situation with the Rkalans, and the attack on Starbase 307 made him almost wonder how other captains would behave in a similar situation. He thought about one of the past captains of the legendary Enterprise in that instance. James T. Kirk would probably go in fighting despite the possible diplomatic ramifications, the risk to his career, the away team, and the starbase, though he didn’t see himself as much of a glory hound.

“Seltus,” he asked, looking at the Vulcan science officer,” what’s this Tesla he was talking about?”

“The U.S.S. Tesla is an Oberth-class science vessel currently docked at the station,” he said, checking his instruments. “According to my scans, they seem to on-loading personnel from the starbase for evacuation purposes.”

“I see,” he said, rubbing his chin. “Amber, have you been able to reach the starbase at all?”

“With the damage done to their communications array,” she explained,” I thought that it wouldn’t be salvageable at all but I seem to be getting a signal now.”

“Put’em on.”

“On audio, sir.”

A downpour of static flowed from the intercom before voices could be heard. The female-sounding voice on the other side of the transmission sounded experienced and calm. “Th… is… ander… is of Starba… 07… Please res… nd…”

“Can you clean some of that up?”

“I’m already on it, sir,” she reported from her forward station. The signal came through again, much clearer this time around.

“This is Lieutenant Commander Valeris of Starbase 307, please respond,” the starbase officer’s voice repeated over the intercom again. The name Valeris reminded the Betazoid of a Valeris who had served aboard the Enterprise, NCC-1701-A at the time of the First Khitomer Accords. He wondered if this was her daughter or a granddaughter especially since that Valeris had been charged with treason.

“This is the Starship Triton,” Durzan said, answering her cry for assistance.

“Triton, this is Lieutenant Commander Valeris, Second Officer of Starbase 307. We have come under attack from an Rkalan battle cruiser. Most of our systems have been breached and our weapons are nearly gone.”

“What about causalities, Commander?”

“Admiral Hardcastle and Captain Sayvok are dead. Our infirmary reports that-that –“ The signal became buried in static again and Narensky looked over her systems before looking up at the main viewer which showed a close-up of the starbase and the Rkalan warship. Without any kind of warning, energy charges impacted against the meagerly-protected space station and with every shot, you could see that the base was close to destruction.

“Their shields are weakening, sir!,” Taavr shouted from behind Durzan. “Shall I return fire?”

“Fire a shot across their bow, Mr. Taavr, then hail them.”

‘I’ve had enough of that bastard’s grandstanding and his thoughts of supremacy over us,’ entered his mind and he wondered what had started this attack on the starbase. He didn’t know much about this Admiral Hardcastle except that she had once served under Admiral Alynna Nechayev at Starfleet Intelligence. The Triton fired a single phaser blast towards the Rkalan ship and it flew across their bow without any intent of damage. With this show of strength, the Rkalans stopped firing their weapons at the base and turned their ship towards the Federation vessel.

“They’re hailing us again, Captain.”

“On screen.”

Rui’lon’s image reappeared on the screen and he was standing in front of his command chair. The ambient color of the alien warship’s command center had changed from a nominal green to a very threatening amber hue. The Rkalan was filled with rage and Durzan could feel it when he stared back at the Triton’s captain.

“Do you wish for war, Captain?! Are you so hot for the spilling of blood, Rkalan blood that—“

“ I want you to shut up and stop firing on our starbase, Rui’lon! You’ve killed so many people over there that—“

“You have one hour to evacuate your space station, Captain Durzan,” Rui’lon said, his yellow eyes aflame with the audacity that came with being a person ruled by not just his emotions but by the belief that he was always right. “One hour to remove your people from the station before I destroy it with my arsenal. Do you understand me?”

“I’m trying to avoid war here, Commander, and I have to say that your unwanted molestation of our base and the murder of our people is unlawful. You must be brought to –“ The transmission ended and Durzan realized that Rui’lon was shutting him down like he had done before.

“Damn,” he said before pressing a button on his armrest,” Durzan to Engineering.”

“Heidenbach here, Captain,” the assistant chief engineer answered him.

“Mr. Heidenbach, get some people together and get to the transporter room. Beam over to the starbase and help the Tesla evacuate the crew with the person in charge over there. Her name is Lieutenant Commander Valeris. Get whoever you can back over to the ship and remember: you have one hour before the Rkalans start shooting again and we’ll probably be their first target.”

"Understood, sir. We’re on our way, Heidenbach out!”

“Good, good,” Emeri said, standing up from his chair. He turned around to face Taavr, his eyes looking up at the Tandaran. “Coordinate with the transporter room and keep an eye on that away team. I’m sure that the good commander would like to spout off about this or something.”

“Aye, sir,” the Tandaran said with a nod before he attended to his display.

“What’s with the standoff now?,” Noel asked him. Of the entire crew, Durzan had somehow found himself capable of relaxing whenever he was in her presence. He figured it was because her experiences were as many as his own, maybe more. The tales that she had shared during her off-duty sessions in the Forward Watch, the crew lounge, had been long stories of neither here nor there. Of course, her question was a fair one since with Commander Windsong absence from the ship and Narensky busy with her duties as Operations Manager, she was the next person in the chain of command that he could discuss his decisions with.

“Maybe I should let them shoot up the ship, stabbing away at us like they did the station?,” he asked with some sarcasm in his voice. A smile came to his face after an idea took root in his mind and the Betazoid looked at Commander Narensky. “Amber… put me through to Commander Rui’lon.”

“Aye… sir,” the ops officer said with a questionable look on her face, her hands moving across her display to carry out the captain’s orders.

Rui’lon’s image appeared again and he didn’t appear to be any happier than before. He stared back at him with a look on his face that waited to hear what he wanted to hear – an offer to surrender.

“Commander Rui’lon, I don’t know if your sensors are working or not but I happen to have a Charleston-class starship at my command. If you attempt to destroy us or the starbase, I’m afraid that I would be inclined to avenge myself upon you by firing on your ship. And if I recall my Academy engineering courses regarding Rkalan vessels, a single Federation starship has the combined firepower to easily wipe the floor with you and your ship.”

“Reinforcements will join us shortly, Captain,” the Rkalan said with an irate sneer. “I will conquer you, Human.”

Durzan rolled his eyes and growled angrily at the enemy commander. “Now why in the name of the Holy Rings of Betazed would you assume that I’m even human? Is it because I look like one of them? Is it because I’ve spent the last twenty-some years among them? or it is because these people were willing to take me in when I had no other place to go? Huh?!”

“Then what on Rkala are you?!”

Durzan paused for a moment, remembering that he had never been a man to flaunt the knowledge of his species around. Most Federation races considered Betazoids to be true telepaths, though it was just a product of their biology. There were even some nonaligned governments who had authorized their scientists with the right to kidnap Betazoids and perform illegal genetic experiments on them to learn the secret of their abilities. He had almost been a victim himself of such violence, ten years ago while serving as an operations officer aboard the U.S.S. Roanoke.

He sighed deeply after taking his moment. “Commander Rui’lon,” he said,” I’m the guy with my finger on a wide assortment of phaser and quantum torpedoes. Unless you want to get closer to your next life as a Betelguesean amoeba, then I’d suggest that you open your mind and listen to what I have to say. I’m trying to avoid bloodshed on both sides. Now… wouldn’t you agree to a more amenable solution for both of our governments?”

“Perhaps,” the Rkalan said, thinking it over,” but what about this… Invader? By the rights of our sovereign nation, it should be ours for the taking.”

“We can’t really be sure whose territory this is until the diplomats figure this all out. However, I would be willing to share any results that our scientists acquire through their studies of this ship. Would you be willing to agree to that, sir?” The captain could see that the Rkalan was actually considering his options. The bloodshed that he had previously visited upon the people of Starbase 307 had been unauthorized by his government of well-wishers and cowards. If he went back home empty-handed, then he was sure to find himself with an appointment with the chopping block on Execution Hill in Rkala’s capital city.

“How do I know that you aren’t trying to lure me into a false sense of security and take advantage of this situation once I leave? You Starfleet captains do have a reputation for your treachery.” Rui’lon brought up an honest and valid point because there were some captains in Starfleet that performed a variety of tricks, worthy of stage magicians in the process of carrying out their duties. The Rkalan didn’t know what to except from Captain Durzan since most of his service record was either classified or omitted to hide the really juicy sections of his life, according to Rkalan Intelligence.

“There’s no guarantee that my superiors will follow through here, Commander. As I’ve already said, I have an away team aboard that ship and –“

“So you say, Captain, and they may already know its secrets and use them against me. You are merely… stalling me with your… your ‘talk’!”

Durzan thought about this for a moment. After a few moments passed, there was a hard glare in his eyes. “You’re right, Rui’lon. It seems we can’t work out our differences,” he said, returning to the comforts of his command chair. “Let’s just hope that history remembers us better than we are now. Mister Taavr?”

“Yes, Captain?,” the medium-sized Tandaran asked him.

“Target our quantum torpedoes on the Rkalan battle cruiser and prepare to fire on my command. I don’t want to leave a single person living on that ship if they’re not willing to negotiate.”

“Aye, sir. Locking torpedoes on target,” he said while his digits crossed over the flat surface of his tactical console’s control board,” and ready to fire.”

“Good, prepare to –“

“Wait! Wait a minute!”

“Shall I aim for the command deck first, sir, or should I fire to disable their weapons and propulsion?”

“Well, I don’t know,” the captain said, looking around the bridge. “Does anyone have a coin?”

“WAIT!,” Rui’lon continued to beg, pleading desperately for his live from the bridge of his own ship. The fear of death was in his bronze eyes and he looked at someone outside the range of the viewscreen. That state of fear rose in his facial expressions and in his body language when it was confirmed that the Starfleet vessel had their torpedoes locked on their ship.

“So, Commander, what’s it going to be? War… or peace?”

Rui’lon trembled at the thought of dying and lowered his head in shame.

[Captain Universe]

Rebecca Windsong, Pierre Delacroix, Sean Pasko and the Sharfi that called herself by the name of Aerashai were brought forcibly closer to the Cha’saiyn known as Ch’vhare. His Hive soldiers made them bow before him while he held his weapons spheres on them. They had been monitoring the incident between the Triton and the Rkalans which the away team had overhead.

‘Apparently, he feels safer by lugging those things around,’ the Frenchman thought before another wave of pain mildly disrupted his central nervous system through the Implant. He looked up and saw Ch’vhare smiling over the Implant controller on his wrist. The reptilian glared at the humans and the Sharfi suspiciously before he consulted a holographic display near his throne.

“You humans are… interesting… and quite tasty by how the others in your party died so easily,” he said, smiling at them that sent shivers down Pasko’s spine. “I now hold you here aboard the Cradle as prisoners and worthy supplicants for my Hive. Of course, I cannot understand why your foolish captain would use his ship to protect me from infidels. Like him, they would have my ship and my life for all that they are worth. As I said… interesting… Perhaps this… Durzan want my secrets for himself or maybe… just maybe... he’s concerned about… you…”

“You don’t know Captain Durzan. He’ll sacrifice his ship if it means protecting his crew,” Windsong explained through her tension. “And you won’t get anything from him or from the Federation. I would rather die than to serve your Hive!”

“That goes for me too,” Delacroix said in agreement.

“And me too!,” Pasko said as well.

Ch’vhare separated his attention from his prisoners and to the holographic display hovering over one side of his chair. It had once been located on the Cradle’s bridge where her former command could lead his crew from. He had ordered it removed down to this arena while the Hive had gathered for the trials against the intruders because he wanted to appear large and indestructible to them. He appeared to be deep in thought before he returned his attention to them, especially to Aerashai who was frightened into obeisance by the mere sight of him. She had been aboard the ship for so long that her fears guided her more than her conscience.

“It appears that their captain has convinced the infidel vessel to withdraw from the fight with the space station. He had also used their matter transmission unit to aid them and the smaller vessel docked there. I wonder…,” he said, speaking more to himself before his eyes shifted to Delacroix,” what will your leader, your captain do now? Because I would be willing to return you to your people for certain accommodations.”

Directing his questioning to the older male of the group, he assumed that he was the real person in charge and not Commander Windsong, a human female. In the Cha’saiyn’s eyes, he saw the engineer as the man with more authority and a closer connection to their leader.

“What do you want, you swine?”


Captain Durzan felt a sigh of relief when he sat down behind his desk in his ready room. The Betazoid had watched the Rkalan vessel leave the area with the Triton alone with the alien vessel. Reports on his desk still spoke of the Tesla evacuating personnel from the wreckage of Starbase 307 and he was still more concerned with the lives of his away team. Closing his eyes for but a moment, he allowed himself a moment of peace before his combadge beeped for attention.

“Go ahead,” he said after answering it.

“Captain, we’re receiving an audio transmission from the alien vessel,” Lieutenant Seltus reported from the bridge. With Narensky and Counselor Noel supervising the transfer of personnel from the starbase to the ship, he had been left in command of the bridge for the interim. “It’s Commander Delacroix.”

“Patch him in here, Mr. Seltus.”

He leaned forward and pressed a button on his desk monitor. Commander Delacroix appeared on the small monitor, looking in worse shape than he usually did after a long period in the ship’s Jefferies Tubes. He did notice a small part of technology attached to the back of his neck but he put his curiosity aside for the moment.

“Pete, we’ve been worried sick about you guys. Where’s Commander Windsong and the others?,” he inquired.

“Captain, I’m afraid that only the commander, young Pasko, and I have survived and the commander is in dire straits,” the engineer reported. “We’ve been taken by an individual who has identified himself as Ch’vhare and he’s offering to return us if you –“

“You know my feelings in regards to negotiating with terrorists, Commander.”

“And normally I would agree with you, sir but couldn’t you see clear to forgetting about that little rule for once? His people, his Hive… they ate Wheeler and the others…,” he paused before continuing,” … alive.”

“Alive, you say?”

“Yes, Captain.”

Emeri could see the fatigue in the engineer’s eyes and it was strange to see him so scared. Delacroix was known around the ship as a rough and tough sort of fellow. Whatever was happening aboard that alien ship, it had shaken him down to his core. This was a situation that was deteriorating as quickly as the one that he had just dealt with the Rkalans.

“Can I have some time to make a decision?”

Delacroix talked with someone outside the scope of the monitor before the transmission disappeared from his screen. “Damn,” he swore before he left the sanctuary of his ready room.


“For Sharfiyt!,” a distant voice said overhead before an unidentified Sharfi swung down from the shadows of the cargo bay-turned-arena. He carried no weapons on him like the ones that Ch’vhare had but he was still able to fire a meager spray of blue energy towards the Hive soldiers that started towards him. Windsong saw him out of the corner of her eye and nodded at her comrades.

Both men turned on their heels and punched the guards on either side of them. Aerashai cowered down behind Pasko for protection while the trio ran for the table where were equipment was laid out on display. When Ch’vhare’s followers had captured them, they had been divested of their EVA suits. Wearing their normal uniforms underneath the suits, they were soon able to acquire their phasers and tricorders.

Seeing one of the tricorders splattered with the blood of Lieutenant Wheeler, Aerashai took it off of the table and examined it. “What form of technology is this?,” she asked in the middle of a firefight being fought around her. She dived underneath the table, following Pasko, Delacroix, and Windsong as they returned fire from every direction that was fired at them.

“It’s a tricorder,” the pilot said, firing his weapon at a Hive soldier who rushed them and perished as easily as he had lived. He took the tricorder from her and activated it before handing it back to her. “See if you can use it to contact our ship. We need to get out of here!”

“Yes, yes, of course!,” she shouted in agreement. While her new friends fought to save themselves and her, she ducked down and began to tinker with the tricorder like it was a new toy.


“Captain, we’re receiving another transmission from the away team,” Lieutenant Taavr reported as the captain stalked out of his ready room. It had only been a few minutes since the last one had been received when this ‘Ch’vhare’ was offering up his away team as ransom for something unknown.

“Are you sure it’s them?”

“I have identified the communications device being used as Lieutenant Wheeler’s tricorder, sir,” Seltus reported from ops. He seemed to have a good fit for that station while Narensky was below decks.

“Okay, go ahead and answer it.” Durzan stepped over to the left side of the ops console, half-expecting the viewscreen to activate with Delacroix’s image like before. Only this time, it was an audio message.

“Hello, hello, is this the starship?!,” an unfamiliar voice asked, almost frantic with panic. “Help us, please! Your friends are under attack! They need you! Ch’vhare will surely eat us now if they—“ Static replaced her voice before it disappeared from their scopes.

“Who was that?,” Taavr asked.

“I am not familiar with that voice either,” Seltus noted.

“Whoever it is, she says that our people need help,” the captain said, rushing into action. He walked over to the rear of the bridge and stopped beside Taavr at Tactical. Red lights still illuminated the bridge while the ship remained at battle stations. The Betazoid looked at the Tandaran who looked right back at him.

“You are planning some treachery, I believe?”

“Not really, I was just wondering if they still had their sub-dermal transmitters.”

“Ah,” the security officer said, suddenly sharing the same thought as his captain. New regulations passed by Starfleet Command required all personnel to be implanted with sub-dermal transmitters before the start of any away mission. The away team sent over to the Invader had visited Doctor Eilrin and his Sickbay before leaving the ship.

Taavr checked examined his sensor readings before giving an answer. “I have an approximate location for the away team’s sub-dermal transmitters, sir. They appear to be located inside of a large area near the rear of the ship and they is a great number of people surrounding them. I’m also detecting Federation weapons signatures.”

“There are also two other distinct signatures near Commanders Windsong, Delacroix, and Lieutenant Pasko,” Seltus said, his eyes on the ops display in front of him. “According to the computer and these readings, they appear to be of Sharfi origin.”

“And since that ship has no shields to speak of…,” the captain said, finishing his thought.

“… I should have the transporter room beam them aboard?,” asked Taavr.

“Well, what are you waiting for, the Nature Festival? Do it!”


Windsong lay on her side with a gushing impact wound made by a Hive soldier’s spear weapon. Aerashai attended to it while Pasko and Delacroix fired back at their enemies. It looked like they were going to lose this battle and their lives. Even Sokai who had provided the distraction that had led to their freedom had joined her, trying to attend to the first officer’s wounds.

“Aerashai, she will soon join her ancestors! Leave her!,” the male Sharfi said while a blue stream of energy from his chest took the life of an advancing Hive soldier.

“No! She must survive!”
That was when the battle ended and they no longer found themselves aboard the Cradle.

[Captain Universe]

Chapter Three

The attentive ears that poked through the flaxen hair flattened in dismay while their owner’s blue-violet eyes widened after the light had seized them and deposited them in a very strange place. It had left her faint and she winced, squinting at the brightness of her new surroundings before curling up tighter around Rebecca Windsong. Trembling anxiously, her eyes wandered over the sterile environment, trying to figure out where she was and what was going on. Aerashai was plainly related to the Caitian race, although she and her companion, Sokai, were both of a fairly uniformly pale color, a good twenty-eight inches shorted and they had longer ears than the better known felinoid races in either the Alpha or Beta Quadrants.

“It’s all right, Aerashai,” Pasko assured her,” we’re aboard the Triton.”

A bald man with strange devices in his hands approached them and he hastily looked at them with a concerned frown in his facial expression, though Aerashai could sense an empathic presence behind his worried gaze. A woman with dusty-blonde hair and ridges on her nose was a step behind him with similar relief and anxiety in her countenance. She could smell both life and death around them but then she thought,’ What would you smell like around healers?’

Aerashai’s eyes widened again despite her fatigue and the light lancing painfully through them. Her lily-shaped ears pressed flat against the Commander’s dark locks as her nostrils abruptly flared, compressing to blow out a warning huff. It was a sound that she rarely made, though she knew that she would bite if in self-defense.

“Aerashai,” Pierre Delacroix said soothingly from beside her as he patted her right shoulder,” it’s all right. That’s Doctor Eilrin and his nurse. Let them help her.”

Since she still wouldn’t give way to the even more harmless-looking woman, Lieutenant J.G. Sean Pasko came over and pried her away from the injured First Officer’s side. He gently forced her to a short distance away from the injured woman so that there was sufficient room for the Chief Medical Officer and his nurse to carry out their duties.

“She’ll be fire,” the youngster added with a reassuring nod. “Eilrin’s one of the best in Starfleet. Here… let me get you some water, okay?”

Now more than uncertain than outright afraid, Aerashai’s gaze flickered between Sean Pasko, Pierre Delacroix, Rebecca Windsong, the female who was apparently searching for something called a ‘cortical stimulator’ on a nearby shelf, this ‘Doctor Eilrin’ who was absorbed in waving one of his medical devices over the injured woman, and her own countryman, Sokai. He looked back at her with scared blue-green eyes and flattened ears, showing his own uncertainty with their situation since she met the Triton officers. The doctor’s long gaze was on the diagnostic panel that displayed Windsong’s vitals and medical status.

With a long shiver in her bones, the Sharfi allowed the pilot to steer her away from the drama to an adjacent biobed that was only a few meters away from the surgical bay where the commander was having her injuries healed. She collapsed more than sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes closing against the waves of exhaustion that were washing over her since treating an injured person with empathic bio-harmonics was strenuous at best.

“Here,” he said, pressing a cool glass cylinder into her hands after retrieving it from the replicator near the Chief Medical Officer’s office.

“Thank you,” she managed to murmur to him, one eyes open towards Windsong as she drank the cool, clear liquid. It tasted different from the water that the Cradle generated from its replicators but then its technology hadn’t worked as well as it had been designed since Ch’vhare had taken over. Her lily-shaped ears were perked alertly for any sound of suffering from that woman that she had been protecting. She lifted her eyelids carefully, looking at Pasko with a small wry smile quirking up around the corners of her mouth. “You look as tired as I feel.”

Lieutenant Pasko smiled back at her with humor clear in his expression. “I am.”

Abruptly he looked back towards the surgical bay and Aerashai stiffened at the sound of approaching footsteps coming from the opposite side of the Sickbay door. She forced herself to her padded feet and turned towards that direction as the bald-headed doctor with the empathic sense crossed over from Windsong and towards the other members of the away team. He had already seen to Delacroix who was sitting in a nearby chair.

“It’s your turn now, Mister Pasko,” he announced to the younger man.

Aerashai pressed her ears flat, stepping between them as she performed the warning exhalation again. “Rebecca?,” she queried protectively. She felt that she would act if the people under her protection were being harmed in any shape or form. It was different than how she behaved aboard her own ship but there was so much about their culture that she didn’t know… perhaps they euthanized their injured to save resources like her own species used to do on Sharfiyt, fifty rotation cycles ago. Only a close uprising of the Sharfi people had convinced the Lawbringers into phasing out that mundane and unnecessary regulation from their home planet.

“Once whole again and sleeping like a Vulcan sehlat, though in a medically-induced coma,” the Deltan told her with an inner confidence in his own abilities as a physician. She expected him to go into a full recitation of what he had done to Rebecca but instead he said,” I understand that we have you to thank for saving her life.”

The gentleness of the Deltan’s eyes touched her. “It was bad; the wound… Rebecca is Delacroix and Sean’s thausheian, their friend.” Deep anguish swept over her, sending her ears back against her flaxen-maned head. “Thausheian shouldn’t be taken away if we can help it.”

“Indeed,” he replied with an agreeable nod of his bald pate.

Aerashai looked over her shoulder at Sean Pasko with her ears dipping with anxiety. He understood her concern and smiled at her. “It’s okay, Aerashai. Doctor Eilrin won’t hurt you. He just wants to help you and maybe heal you if he can.”

Once more glace that was less anxious than before and she followed the man labeled ‘Doctor Eilrin’ towards the surgical bay where First Officer Windsong was laid underneath a blanket with her chest rising and falling in a peaceful rhythm. Lifting her ears again, she padded over silently to the sleeping woman’s side and looked at her for a long moment. Reassured as to her friend’s safety, she turned and saw Pasko lying down on another tall biobed next to the one that she had been sitting on before. She approached him with something between protectiveness and utter curiosity.

“It is all right, Aerashai,” Sokai, her companion, finally spoke. “I believe that the healer is merely giving him an examination, my cousin.”

Her blue-violet eyes softened as she nodded, tenderly shushing Sean Pasko as she nuzzled his shoulder with a soothing brush of her velvet-soft nose and an empathic wave of peace. She heard him sigh as he slipped into unconsciousness, stepping back to gaze at him with that sort of tender look that a mother would give her slumbering child. Feeling that there were eyes upon her, Aerashai lifted her gaze to Doctor Eilrin’s amazed stare.

“How…?,” he began to ask her, confused.

Sokai turned away from Aerashai and to the doctor with a small shrug. “It is our way, Physician.”

Aerashai lifted a slender forefinger to her mind, miming for quiet. “Let him rest,” she whispered to the amazed medical officer and his nurse. The Deltan tugged at his blue collar before he gestured to one of the unoccupied beds between Sean, Delacroix, and Windsong where she had been sitting before.

“Climb up and have some rest yourself,” he whispered back to her.

Worn out from everything that she had accomplished on this day, the Sharfi woman could only bring herself to nod slowly to him and to stumble over to the indicated resting space. She managed somehow to haul herself up onto the tall, cool, and flat surface, rolling onto her side. With her hand beneath her tucked tightly to her chest and her other arm over her folded ear, she finally succumbed to her exhaustion.


The quiet rumbling of nearby voice triggered Aerashai’s slow climb to consciousness.

“… doesn’t respond to the usual treatments for her type of injury so I’ve had to fall back onto some more primitive methods of treatment. However, she is showing some considerable improve—“

“She's awake.”
Aerashai’s ear twitched towards the caress of a familiar voice. It was Sokai, the cousin that she considered to be as close to her as any brother, her own thausheian. she opened her blue-violet eyes and blinked them as she focused them. Nondescript white light faded into blurry-shaped swatches in black with patches of blue, red, gold along with the smaller patchwork of the more subtle colors that decorated the Triton’s sickbay. She continued to blink intermittently for adjustment and slowly the world coalesced into sharper images and shapes.

One of the new men in the room stood over her with a mildly concerned look on his face, wearing a red collar with four gold decorations on it while it stuck up from underneath his gray-and-black uniform jacket. He appeared to be close to Delacroix’s age and older than Windsong and Pasko, his face and general demeanor painting the portrait of a man who had seen countless years of experience in his past. There was also the sense of a telepathic presence from him that made her wonder how different he was from these ‘Humans’.

Looking healthier than when she had first met him, Lieutenant Commander Delacroix was also present, though she could see that Commander Windsong was still unconscious on the biobed in the surgical bay. Raising her nose slightly and sipping the air with her nostrils, she identified Pasko’s scent with Delacroix’s and Rebecca’s (among the prevalent scents of the physician and his nurse) and also… a male… and… two females. Turning her head towards the source of the strange scents, Aerashai’s blue-violet eyes fell upon the man again with black hair and a general air of authority in his posture.

A small grin grew on the face of the human woman in gold and black beside him. She had light green eyes and a yellow mane that spread down over her shoulders. She almost reminded Aerashai of her sister Serasa who was back on her home world with her own life.

“I understand that we have you to thank for the recovery of our away team,” the thick tenor of the Captain’s voice announced, his voice gentle despite its roughness. “I’m Emeri Durzan, representing the United Federation of Planets. Welcome aboard the Triton.”

“I am Aerashai,” the little alien woman announced carefully before she continued with her formal tie,” Caretaker of the Cradle and daughter of Sharfiyt.”

“And I am Sokai, Emissary of the Cradle, and a son of Sharfiyt,” her compatriot greeted him, adding a genteel bow to his introduction.

“That is certainly a mouthful,” Durzan remarked wryly. “If either of you are feeling up to it, I can have someone give you both a tour of this ship. If you don’t mind, Car-“

“Please… call me Aerashai,” she corrected him quietly, smiling with her ears dipping in minor embarrassment. “Caretaker is merely… a title.”

“Still, I’m grateful to you and your compatriot that you were able to give assistance to my people while you were over there. Commander Delacroix and Mister Pasko have given me nothing but glowing reports about you and Mister Sokai. However, could I ask you about… your ship?”

Knowing that he required information about her that she was sure that he could have already gleaned from Sokai, Aerashai rolled over onto her side and carefully sat up. Cautious of her propriety, especially among aliens, she clutched the blanket that the doctor had covered her with up to her chest. She closed her eyes against the aching pains that flared through her bandaged wounds, then took a deep breath and opened those blue-violet windows into her soul.

“Sometimes… it is difficult to remember…” Reaching up with one hand, she gingerly touched the bandages on her neck and realized that the Implant was missing, ‘To lose the… I… I beat him,’ she thought to herself as her astonished gaze flashed to the Deltan beside her. “It’s gone! How did you…?”

“Yes, it’s gone,” Doctor Eilrin replied with self-pleasure over his medical skill,” but it was very difficult to remove. Your brain chemistry was interesting to examine under close observation through the medical scanner. Still, I would suggest that you take a few days to rest before you do anything too strenuous, especially with the residual nano-probes in your system that needs to break down and be re-absorbed into it.”

“Did… did you hear him, my cousin?,” Sokai asked her with his own blue-green eyes brimming with happiness. “We’re free… free of …”

Nodding gently and touched by what the Triton’s medical officer had done for her and Sokai, she lowered her ears slightly. “It… it had been some time… a long time since anyone has shown either Sokai or I such kindness,” she murmured, blushing somewhat before she forced herself to look away from him before tears could cloud her eyes. “Goddess heard our message… and… and sent you, our angels of mercy. I… I thank you, D-Doctor Eilrin.”

Eilrin just nodded his gratitude.

Aerashai looked at Durzan and she remembered his last question. “Perhaps I will be able to recall more when I am finally healed of my ailments, Captain Durzan. All that I can remember for now are random bits and pieces of information… mostly about safety protocols and the letter ‘T’.” Her lily-shaped ears fell further to express her regret about being unable to give him a more complete answer. “Sokai and I were… we were prisoners aboard the Cradle for so many rotation cycles. None of them being…” She sighed uncomfortably. “They weren’t… pleasant.”

“I can imagine,” Delacroix reassured her, remembered what Ch’vhare had done to the generational vessel after its crew had shown him an act of kindness. That act of kindness had only led him to capture it and to pervert it with his ‘Hive’.

“Take your time, thausheian,” Sokai advised her, trying to comfort her with a gentle touch to her forearm. “We are safe now and they are only trying to help.”

“Do you know where your home world might be located,” the female with close-cropped hair and pointed ears inquired in an emotionless voice.

“Sharfiyt,” she replied, her ears coming forward again,” but I would need to see a star chart to point it out for you. Without my databanks aboard the Cradle, the star maps in my memory are only a partial record. Somehow, I believe I could locate it.”

The insignia on Durzan’s uniform signaled and another emotionless voice called out to him. “Bridge to Captain Durzan.”

The captain answered his combadge by tapping it,” Go ahead, Bridge.”

“Captain,” the voice of Lieutenant Taavr, the Tandaran security officer, reported patiently,” Admiral Saavik at Starfleet Command is signaling us about the Invader and Captain Ariel of the Tesla is asking to speak with you as well.”
‘What’s she so concerned about what happens out here in the boondocks?,’ the Betazoid asked himself, curiosity since Saavik had become one of Starfleet’s senior admirals during the Dominion War.

“Understood, Mr. Taavr. Have both calls transferred to my ready room. Durzan out.” The captain’s gaze returned to the small, softly-furred being seated up on the biobed in front of him. His mouth quirked into a wry smile before he turned towards the Sickbay door that stood as a minor obstacle towards leaving that part of the ship.

“I should have Commander Windsong transferred to the stasis chamber until we’re able to get to a nearby starbase,” Eilrin said, turning his head towards the captain.

“How long will she be there?”

“Well, her injuries are healing slowly and since she comes from Dorvan V,” the Deltan said,” they might have more success with treating her.”

“I see,” Durzan said. Rebecca Windsong was a good officer and she had been chief of security on his last command, the Aeolus during the war. It was a loss but life goes on as she was always said when they lost someone. “Well, I need to return to the bridge but we’ll continue this discussion later. Commander Valeris? Commander Narensky?,” he said, looking at the Vulcan woman in the red collar and the blonde-haired woman in the gold collar next to him. Aerashai could almost smell the distrust that the woman that he called ‘Narensky’ had for the one that he had called ‘Valeris’.

Bowing her head with a graceful nod of understanding, Aerashai watched him leave Sickbay with both females through the door that slid open once it sensed their presence. As the door closed behind them, she lifted a thankful smile to Sean and Delacroix as she observed. “You both seem to be feeling better.”

“I am,” the Chief Engineer confirmed,” and thank you for your help. The doctor here said that if it hadn’t been for you, we would have been goners.”

The Sharfi’s blush deepened when she shyly averted her blue-violet eyes from him, glancing over towards Sokai. “Thausheian shouldn’t be separated.” Lifting her gaze towards Lieutenant Pasko’s face as her ears came up, she acknowledged him. “You look well-rested, Sean.”

Lieutenant Sean Pasko smiled back at her with a boyish, puppy-dog grin. “If you’re feeling up to it, we’d like to show you some of our ship. And only if Doctor Eilrin will allow you to escape from Sickbay for a little while…”

Aerashai looked up at the bald man in the blue collar, her ears lifting up into a hopeful posture as her eyes widened by a tiny measurement. The overall effect made her look very cute. “May I?”

The physician hesitated before he relented. “All right but rest whenever you’re tired and don’t forget to have a small meal. Come back in two hours and I should have some further tests to run on you.”

“I believe that I will undertake my set of tests now to get them over with,” Sokai demurred, trusting his thausheian to the care of their new friends just as much as she trusted him to be well treated by the physician.

Her warn smile dazzled them, even the stoic Deltan. “Thank you. I promise to be careful and don’t strain yourself, Sokai.” Rolling onto her belly, she let her feet dangle down over the edge of the biobed before she slid down onto the floor below her. Taking a hold of her blanket, she swept it off of the bed and folded it widthwise.

“There,” she replied, smiling with satisfaction while smoothing out the fabric over her four-and-a-half foot frame. “Better?” She glanced between all four of them, inquiring about her appearance.

“We could have easily replicated you something to wear,” Eilrin said flatly.

“Aerashai,” Delacroix chuckled,” you are so full of surprises. Come along and we’ll show you the holodeck.”

Padding on her dainty feet to Commander Delacroix and Lieutenant Pasko, the Sharfi waved cheerfully to the bald Deltan, the always-bitter Bajoran nurse, the diminutive Sharfi male, and the unconscious Windsong before they walked through the Sickbay door and into the corridor beyond.


“I understand that you were able to retrieve your away team safely?,” Captain Ariel, a blue-skinned Xynali woman, inquired strictly from her ready room aboard the U.S.S. Tesla as she peered at Captain Durzan. Her ship had escaped the destruction of Starbase 307 and she was apparently checking up on the Triton and her captain. Admiral Saavik, a Vulcan-Romulan hybrid was also conveniently displayed on his wall monitor since the report that had been made with Starfleet Command had been brought to her attention about a marauding alien vessel heading for newly-formed Federation colonies in the ship’s area of exploration.

“Yes, Ariel, and we had some fatalities among our security personnel,” he answered her, leaning against the edge of his desk. The Betazoid was quiet for a moment of reflection before continuing,” My security chief, Lieutenant Diane Wheeler was among them and my first officer is in a medically-induced coma until we can reach a starbase.”

“Your earlier report suggested that a single rogue member of the Cha’saiyn has created a Hive aboard this ship after the Sharfi brought him into their midst as an act of kindness?,” Saavik mused, wearily perusing the file. She didn’t seem to be too interested in the fatalities lost aboard the Cradle or aboard Starbase 307. For a captain of Durzan’s skill and caliber, any fatality under their command was almost like a deep wound to the soul.

“And clearly,” the admiral continued,” the lost of Admiral Hardcastle is a deep blow to the rest of Starfleet.”

“They have plans to attack our colonies in this sector, ma’am, according to the Sharfi we rescued along with our away team. After talking to Commander Delacroix, I beleive that this ‘Ch’vhare’ might have the capability of replicating the Invader’s technology to build more ships of its class.”

“Do they have enough personnel to man such vessels? I can have the de Gaulle rendezvous with you as soon as—“

“Admiral,” Durzan interrupted,” we’re not too sure about the situation aboard Invader at the moment. There are personnel that we believe that they captured from Starbase 307 and –“

“Then how do you know that this… this… Ch’vhare is going to attack our colonies?” The look on Saavik’s face was unconvinced about the emergent danger presented by the alien vessel under discussion was real or not. “Captain Durzan, with the problems that Starfleet Command is having with personnel shortages, supply demands and a shortage of available vessels, I do not believe that we can –“

“Admiral Saavik,” Ariel of the Tesla began,” they were able to bring aboard the Triton a couple of the aliens who were the original inhabitants of the Invader before it was stolen from them. we should be hopeful that they weren’t responsible for the destruction of Starbase 307 and that Captain Durzan was able to rescue his officers.”

“I am not negating the facts of the situation, Captain Ariel.”

“Well, I’m convinced that any information that Captain Durzan can glean from these particular Sharfi will help us to protect the Federation colonies in this sector.” She smiled at Durzan with a nod of her head. “I may not be the hero here and rush to the rescue like either Kirk or Picard but you can count on the Tesla to assist you.”

“What about those evacuees?”

“We should be able to off-load them at Deep Space Eleven in forty hours, then be on our way to your position.”

“You do not have the authority to choose your own assignments, Captain Ariel,” Saavik scolded her, her brown eyes glaring across the screen at both captains. “Now, logically, let us assume for the moment that the planets in your sector are in a direct line of danger from this starship. Do you believe that the Triton will be enough to end Ch’vhare’s threat, Captain Durzan?” Her question was almost snide in the Betazoid’s opinion.

There were plenty of captains in Starfleet whose feelings would be hurt by the admiral’s observations and while some of them thought of her in the negative, Emeri was still unsure about whether she had much faith in him at all. Faith didn’t matter to him at the moment and the Triton’s captain could sense that she didn’t trust him enough for some reason that was construed for him right now.

“My staff and I need some time to assess the situation further, Admiral. I would welcome the presence of Captain Ariel and the Tesla and any other vessel in this situation if they’re available. However, I believe that we can remedy this situation ourselves.”

“If you need any assistance, be sure to contact us immediately,” Ariel said,” Tesla out.”

“Keep me apprised of your situation every four hours, Captain. Unlike many other captains of my acquaintance, I do not wish for any heroics unless you receive orders from me to the contrary. Is that understood?” The look on Saavik’s face was a strange mix of anxiety and reprimand. It confused Durzan until he realized that she was worried about him and the Triton crew. Emeri Durzan didn’t even think of himself in the same place as Archer, Kirk, Picard, Riker, Sisko, or even Janeway… but he knew that he would do the right thing if and when the situation called for it.

“Acknowledged, Admiral. Durzan out.

The screen on his wall went dark and the UFP logo replaced Saavik’s visage. “Damn,” he breathed before he turned to the other affairs required in running a ship like the Triton.



Pasko couldn’t help himself but grin at Aerashai’s reaction to the environment of the holodeck when she simply gawked in wide-eyed wonder while the room changed scenes, one after another. Every scene came from a variety of different environments that the Charleston-class starship had visited since leaving Earth, over three years ago. They kept to the Class-M worlds that had breathable atmosphere and comfortable climates for humanoids of both the human and Sharfi species.

“See anything that you like?,” the helmsman asked her. He stood next to her in the middle of the room while the Chief Engineer was near the arch-shaped frame of the holodeck’s door, standing at the controls and working on finding the right environment for their guest. Usually he would have been in Engineering, checking on his people and reviewing their work but the doctor had suggested that he get himself some rest after his ordeal. The scene switched to a rolling plain from a horizon to a horizon with white fluffy clouds trailing across blue skies. It reminded the lieutenant of a meadow back in England where the scene reminded Delacroix of his home outside of Nice.
For Aerashai, it was different.

“This…,” she sighed with her chest tightening and her eyes moistening with a longing for home,”… this is so… wonderful.”

“Computer, stop catalogue,” Delacroix ordered.
Aerashai walked across the green grasses and among the wildflowers before she reached down with a trembling hand to delicately touch the petals of a yellow-orange lily. The Sharfi dipped her nose down towards the flower, gently sniffing it… and closed her eyes as tears began to drip down the sides of her face. “How… how is this marvel of marvels accomplished? It… it is almost like I am home again. We couldn’t even bring living plants with us aboard the Cradle except as seeds when we left Sharfiyt.”

Delacroix and Pasko both shared a glance.

“It’s a series of light, photons, and force fields, Aerashai,” Pasko clarified for her. “We’re still aboard the Triton and we’re still here in the holodeck.”

Pain flickered across her delicate features, dipping her ears as she rose back up to her full height. Turning her back on the artificially-created meadow, the Sharfi pulled her ears upright and smiled wistfully. “Then I shouldn’t think that it would be pointless for me to go for a run,” she pointed out to both men.

“Oh, no,” Delacroix gently corrected her,” you can run around if you feel up to it. The safety protocols are on-line and they ensure that you don’t hurt yourself. You’ll still be in this room but it’ll actually seem like you’re really running through this meadow.” He smiled at the perking of her ears and the surprise in her eyes. “Give it a shot.”

That dazzling warm smile reappeared before she turned and began to walk, then jog, then skip before she was finally running at a pace that only a creature built for speed could. The Sharfi woman flowed through the foliage in loops and bounds. It seemed that the counterfeit plains of the holodeck had swallowed her up for a few moments before young Pasko gave the elder Delacroix a slightly concerned look. The Triton’s Chief Engineer pointed to a glow swimming freely through the colorful flora where the center of Aerashai’s chest was brightly lit up, running through the field like an erratic comet. He noticed before it died down to normal that the shape of the light at her sternum was that of a vivid crimson ruby.

When she came back to join her human companions, a fine sheen of perspiration coated her fur-covered physique but her face was shining with teardrops of joy. Her ruby still thrummed with luminescence as she caught her breath. “Thank you for this. The only thing that could make this experience more wonderfully grand would be a waterfall that runs down from a cliff ledge and into a series of pools.”

“Done and done, mademoiselle,” the more technical of the two answered with a grin. “Computer…”

“Working…,” came the cold and feminine drone of the ship’s computer from all around them.

“Computer, create a waterfall from a cliff ledge that leads down into a series of pools, please.”

“Please specify.”

Pasko got an idea and looked at Delacroix. “What about those waterfalls that we saw on Carinth? You remember… from our last shore leave, a few months ago?”

He nodded his head in agreement. “I remember that poor Windsong had the clap for a month after meeting that lusty Denobulan.” Snickering at his joke despite the unfortunate injury to the First Officer, he paused for a moment. “Computer, recreate the Aeribioni Falls from Carinth’s Northern Hemisphere, please. The data is in my personal database. Authorization: Delacroix-Kilo-Alpha-Seven-Four-Nine.”

“Acknowledged, file found,” the computer said and the environment around them changed. Aerashai’s ears jerked back in surprise to the sound of trickling water. Slowly turning towards the enchanting melody, she caught sight of the falls and the water flowing down from one basin of natural obsidian rock to another before it finally continued downward through a meandering stream of clear, clean water.

“Sharfiyt…,” she breathed in with tears blurring her vision,” … the plains of Dzivaelon in the Iriishal Province and the pools of Shaemivala…” Stepping closer to this majestic spectacle, the Sharfi reached out and trailed her fingertips into the water. Bringing a drop up to her lips, she tasted it… and then shook violently, the long tresses of her hair tossing over her shoulder and her ears flattening down her head. “But it’s not Sharfiyt! This isn’t Dzivaelon! This is just a cruel place to show one’s home when it isn’t even real!”

Pivoting on one foot, Aerashai turned and ran past her new friends out through the door that suddenly appeared out of nowhere when the holodeck sensors detected her close presence. It hastily opened and she nearly collided with a passing crewman before she raced out of sight. She didn’t have a care about where she ended up or how far she would have to run to get away as long as it was away from this… this ‘Holodeck’.

“Aerashai!,” Sean called after her when both he and Delacroix tried to chase after her. That was the difference between their two races since the Sharfi was too quick for either man.

Even though her ears were canted back against the wind of her mad sprint through the corridors of Deck Nine, she chose not to listen to them. She ran on until a door whisked itself open ahead of her and she was forced to skitter to a stop before knocking over the person that the door had originally opened for. Taking this opportunity to escape Pasko and Delacroix, the furry alien woman darted past the spooked person, into the room and… and hesitated…

This room was filled with people, both human and alien; all of them clothed in varying versions of the Starfleet uniforms that she had seen since arriving aboard the Triton. There was no work being done here, nothing being done with a goal except… This wasn’t just another holodeck or the sickbay that her eyes had first discovered since escaping the Cradle. Everyone here was eating, drinking, talking… and laughing… It reminded the Sharfi of the people aboard her own ship… before the Cha’saiyn had been welcomed aboard in honesty and taken what wasn’t his. Tears stung her eyes and with her ears still lowered against the sides of her head, she moved with undue haste towards the nearest empty table… and hid herself beneath it. Aerashai curled herself up to cry softly into a corner of her makeshift dress.

“Are… are you lost, miss?,” a kindly female voice asked her. The Sharfi looked up and she saw the female wearing a simple orange-red-colored tunic, gray trousers and a perfectly-white apron around her rotund waist. Despite the cranial ridges of her brow and her long magenta hair, the wide smile that covered most of her face and the entirely interested look in her clear pink eyes almost reminded Aerashai of the ghostly specters that had led her people to the stars, nearly two generations ago.

“Who… who are you?,” she whimpered through her tears, sniffling while she tried her best to hide close to the table’s support. The abrupt and unexpected appearance of this new alien made her more frightened that she was before. “What are you?”

“I being me, myself, and I, would be something that I don’t even know who I am, my dear,” this random curiosity announced bravely and proudly to her,” but I’m the chef around these parts.” She wiped beads of sweat from her ridged brow with a corner of her apron. “I’m also a gentle shoulder to cry upon and though we are still unfamiliar with each other, you may call me Drox if it so pleases you.” She stopped speaking for a moment to catch a breath before she said another thing. “Can I offer you any assistance at all? I can be quite helpful when asked.”

“Why… why… are you… call-called Drox? That-that sounds like-like a male’s name.”

“As best as the Universal Translator could read, it was the name on the capsule that I was discovered in,” she said, recalling that moment in her past with a smile. “In fact, it was a young Ensign named Durzan who found me. Now… what’s wrong?”

“I… I… was scared…,” she tried to explain, her original fear returning to the front of her mind, her lily-shaped ears falling down to the sides of her head. Somehow she felt more comfortable with this odd woman… this… chef.

“You must be that new girl that some of the crew has been telling me about,” Drox deduced with an open heart and open eyes. She was one of the oldest people aboard the Triton and after almost twenty-years of following Emeri Durzan around in the guises of a counselor, a physician, a science officer, and an engineer, her endurance for out-of-this-world experiences could challenge either a joined Trill or even an El-Aurian. In her eyes, she saw a young woman crying in the middle of Forward Watch and all that she could feel was to protect her like she would any of the children of any of the parents in the ship’s crew.

Those Sharfi ears of Aerashai’s lifted up with a blink of surprise. “They spoke of me?”

“Oh, yes, they did. He… him being young Mister Pasko… said that you saved his life and the life of Commander Delacroix over on that alien vessel,” she said with that still-welcoming smile. “Say, have you eaten anything yet? I just finished serving dinner to everyone else but… I happen to have saved a slice of Kaferian apple pie that I’ve been told is – “

“There she is.”

Aerashai’s ears picked up on the voices of Chief Engineer Delacroix and Lieutenant Pasko as both men walked into Forward Watch. Enlisted personnel and fellow officers alike noticed them, greeting them, and making room for the trio as they walked over to the table where Aerashai was hiding. Pasko fell down to his knees and crawled underneath the table beside her while his accomplice stopped to stand beside the chef.

“I’m sorry if we upset you, Aerashai,” the pilot whispered close to her ear. He took one of her hands into his own and he began to stroke it with a puppy-love look in his green eyes. Though she was trembling with fear, a final tear escaped a tear duct and spilled down her cheek while she allowed this youngster to hold her hand. She even blushed at his gentle touch.

“It’s… it’s like home… but-but it’s not. It hurts…” It was painstakingly clear in his blue-violet eyes that their guest was sick for her home planet, for her people. Sean was about to say some comforting words of encouragement to her but the shrill whistle of Lieutenant Commander Delacroix’s combadge interrupted him, saying, “Durzan to Delacroix.”

The Triton’s Chief Engineer sighed for a moment, knowing that their moment of rest had ended and they were being called back to their obligations as members of the ship’s crew. He tapped his combadge to answer the captain’s page. “This is Delacroix. Go ahead, Captain.”

Durzan’s voice sounded mournful and frustrated to Aerashai as she heard him speaking from the delta-shaped communications device pinned to the engineer’s chest. “We’ve received new orders from Admiral Saavik. She wants us to shadow Ch’vhare’s ship until she can get ships closer to reinforce us. Get yourself, Mr. Pasko, and our Sharfi guests up to the bridge immediately.”

“Acknowledged, Captain. We’re on our way.” The conversation with Durzan ended when Delacroix tapped his combadge again. “Looks like the party is over, kids. Time to go,” he said but he wasn’t sure if he was heard.

Pasko looked deeply into Aerashai’s eyes, searching for an ounce of hope in them. “I’m sorry that you feel like we tricked you with those images of your home world. We didn’t mean to upset you or – “

“It’s… it’s all right, Sean… I was just…”

“Hey, did you hear me?,” Delacroix asked again, trying to get their attention. He bent down onto his knees and looked underneath the table at Sean and Aerashai. They looked like a cute couple and it made him wonder if such a relationship would be possible between them. Memories of his own failures reminded him of his ex-wife Matilda and how she had left him for another man while he was away from their house in Nice. The ‘Dear John’ letter that she had sent him over subspace had been particularly nasty enough that he almost wanted revenge. Thankfully the man that she had cuckolded him with was a captain that Durzan disliked and both of them were able to discredit him in the eyes of Starfleet by revealing evidence that he was in the service of the Orion Syndicate. Last that he had heard about him through the Starfleet grapevine, Captain Yuri Pishankin was assigned to command a much smaller vessel, performing milk runs and minor duties for the Starfleet Corps of Engineers after some time spent at the New Zealand Rehabilitation Facility.

“Sir?,” the lieutenant asked, returned Delacroix to the present.

“The captain wants us up on the bridge, Sean.” He looked at Aerashai as well. “You too as well, mademoiselle. We’re going to need whatever help you and Sokai can provide.”

“You… you need me… to help you? But… but I’m so-so little and-and so… so insignificant!” The anger that unexpectedly erupted from the small woman almost scared Pasko enough for him to pee his pants. He squeezed her hand in an attempt to calm both of them and she looked back at him, her mouth quivering with emotion.

“Will you help us, Aerashai?”

“Ye… yes…”

[Captain Universe]

Captain’s log, stardate 50160.9;

The Triton is still on course chasing after the Invader. Admiral Saavik had ordered us to take whatever course is necessary to protect Federation colonies in this sector. After our last encounter with Ch’vhare, we have acquired two very unlikely passenger; two Sharfi from the planet Sharfiyt who were original members of the alien ship’s crew. To earn their keep, they are providing us with information about this Cha’saiyn pirate and his crew while the admiral is seeing about redeploying the starships de Gaulle and Potemkin to reinforce us. After the devastating losses from the Dominion War, these ‘starter’ colonies are a beginning to the road of salvation that the Federation needs to rebuild what it’s lost over the past few years.

The U.S.S. Triton, NCC-40133, kept a reasonably safe distance from the Invader, also known as the Cradle while maintaining a strong pace behind them at warp eight. Because of a possible ship-to-ship confrontation with the alien vessel, Commander Valeris had already ordered the ship and her crew to Yellow Alert.

Commander Valeris, Rebecca Windsong’s temporary replacement as first officer had come aboard the Triton at Starbase 307 after seeing to the station’s evacuation aboard the Tesla. Originally she was the second officer and head of the starbase’s xenolinguistics and cryptology departments. Her history throughout her Starfleet career was black-listed by what she did during the First Khitomer Accords in 2293. Charged with treason, she had been incarcerated for forty years before a Federation magistrate had reviewed her case and released her based on the testimony of Ambassador Spock. Without any family or anything to hold her to Vulcan, the Vulcan woman had been permitted to re-enlist in Starfleet though her career was stalled until coming aboard the Triton.

The Triton’s commanding officer, in her opinion, was a different form of oddity and quite different from her previous commanding officer, Admiral Ruth Hardcastle. He strolled onto the bridge with a quiet look. His recent conversation with Admiral Saavik had left him with the feeling that he was completely useless as a starship commander. Especially since he had a few marks for disobedience and insubordination on his own record. She had looked over his record after coming aboard the Charleston-class ship and she had found that his career was quite impressive for an officer of such distinction.

“Captain,” the Vulcan commander said with a nod. She rose from the captain’s seat and moved over to the chair on its right. Her assignment was still rather temporarily while Commander Windsong was indisposed in Sickbay but she hoped that she might impress Captain Durzan enough to let her sign onto her crew after the mission was complete.

“Report, Miss Valeris.” Timerue remained standing in the middle of the room, his cold stare pointed at the forward viewscreen where the Invader was displayed in the far distance, moving ahead of them at warp like they were. Earlier when Commander Delacroix and the others had been rescued from the alien vessel, the chief engineer had revealed that he had been able to disable the ship’s quantum slipstream drive, crippling them to warp travel. It had bid well for the Triton since her last crossing over slipstream had weakened the ship’s structural integrity field by 42%.

“We’re maintaining a distance of thirty-thousand kilometers outside of their sensor range, sir,” the Vulcan woman reported with her attention focused on the captain. Her eyes bespoke of a wisdom that spoke to her long time in Starfleet. “Our speed remains at Warp Seven-Point-Nine and I have ordered the crew to Yellow Alert.”

“Amber,” the captain nodded before addressing the blonde-haired woman,” can you pinpoint a possible destination for the Invader by correlating their present course?”

'Oh, sure, have me pull a miracle out of my ass,' Narensky thought, checking her readout.

“That would be difficult to determine, Captain,” Valeris answered him before the operations manager could answer him. “The Invader has changed course six times in the past hour.”

Seltus turned to face the younger woman with curiosity and a hard glare. ‘She is considered impure in our society because of her involvement at Khitomer and the crimes against Starfleet personnel on her shoulders. Why does her presence task me so?’

“Logic,” he said, looking from his station on the port side of the bridge,” would suggest that Ch’vhare is attempting to evade us, though unsuccessfully, through a series of maneuvers designed by an individual used to two-dimensional thinking.”

“I can agree with that, even if it’s made by a Vulcan,” Ghran piped in.

“Good observation, Mr. Seltus,” came the captain’s praise.

“It is a good observation, however, from the -- ,” Valeris began.

“Then the Invader’s crew doesn’t seem to have learned enough to work their own ship’s instrumentation, though they are slaves to Ch’vhare’s ambition.” This comment came from Lieutenant Taavr. After the death of Lieutenant Wheeler, the captain had confirmed him as the new chief of security. He looked ahead from his own equipment behind the captain’s chair, feeling the same tension that everyone else on the bridge was feeling.

“As I was saying,” the Vulcan said, glaring at the Tandaran officer,” a few well-placed quantum torpedoes along their path should frighten him into doing something stupid, sir.”

“Yes, it would but could you guarantee that no more lives would be lost, Commander Valeris?,” a hard authoritative voice asked her from the direction of the starboard turbolift. Sokai arrived on the bridge with Delacroix, Pasko, Aerashai, and Counselor Noel surrounding them almost like a protective cocoon as they walked out onto the bridge. His ears were raised at attention and his blue-green eyes were widely open with amusement. He and his cousin felt honored that their saviors would find enough trust in them to allow them entry into the presence of their vessel’s primary control center.

“Any loss of life can never be guaranteed, sir,” she answered the Sharfi with a cold tone in her voice. Her level of alertness was heightened once the Sharfi had entered the bridge. After already arguing over their fate with the captain, she moved a hand down to rest on the phaser holstered on her belt, ready to strike at any time if she needed it. Her experiences in wartime during the Dominion war had taught her to better err on the side of caution since she preferred to be always prepared for even the worse of tough situations.

“I don’t think that such a course of action is the one that you would prescribe would be wise enough to implement at this time.” After her cousin had said his piece, Aerashai flashed a smile at this emotionless creature in an attempt to melt the glacier of logic that seemed to surround both Valeris’ heart and soul. Sokai merely stood over to one side of the port side of the bridge, awaiting a chance for action.

His eyes shifted to Delacroix who moved to the engineering station behind Taavr and onto Pasko who relieved Nayel-Galash at the helm before stopping at Helen Noel who had moved to take a seat on the left side of Durzan’s command chair. His eyes fell upon the captain who stood in the center of the room folded behind his back. He and Valeris shared the same facial expression that he noticed was also on the face of Lieutenant Seltus, the male Vulcan on the bridge.

“I believe that the captain invited you and Aerashai up to the bridge for any reliable intelligence that you might be willing to impart to us, Mister Sokai, not for you to start a debate among the crew,” the science officer flatly stated without any emotion while his blue eyes stared almost harshly at the Sharfi.

Durzan, with the burdens of command squarely on his shoulders, looked around at his officers and the rest of the bridge crew before he spoke. “The Starship de Gaulle should be on her way to reinforce us soon with the Potemkin. Our orders,” he said,” are to stop the Invader from preying on any Federation colonies in this sector. Our orders from Admiral Saavik are to pursue and observe the ship until the de Gaulle arrives since we’re only one ship in her eyes, however…”

“You have a different plan?,” Noel prompted him.

“… I have a different idea and I’m afraid to inform you all that I intend to commit a serious breach of our orders.” His revelation’s aching words swept over the bridge crew like a hot knife through butter. The Betazoid’s gaze fell onto each and everyone of them before it landed on Aerashai and Sokai, his dark façade softening to show the confidence that he had in himself before he assumed his place in the captain’s chair.
“I know that some of you have very little reason to trust me or to follow my orders just as much as I have little reason to trust some of you. However, let’s not forget that we’re a crew, the Triton’s crew, and we’re expected to work together for the safety and protection of the Federation.”

“Albeit, a less violent plan would guarantee us a more successful endeavour, sir, than with the blatant loss of more lives,” Valeris spoke logically, the temporary first officer actively agreeing with him,” even if those lives are ours.”

“We cannot always live forever,” Sokai commented in a low voice. “Well, maybe I can…”

Aerashai pondered over their words and she had to admit that she was curious about Captain Durzan’s plan. She also found herself wondering why Sokai was so quick to throw his lot in with these Federation people so soon after their experiences with Ch’vhare aboard the Cradle. If these people were willing to blindly follow their captain in liberating the ship that the Triton crew called Invader, then her own participation might help to bring them success. Before she could speak, another voice was raised.

“It would help if we could get Invader to drop out of warp long enough to do something,” Chief Engineer Delacroix suggested without agreeing or disagreeing with the captain or the others.

“Our torpedoes could still work to disable them if we targeted them correctly,” Taavr suggested again, his wounded ego still smarting from Sokai’s earlier argument. It always seemed like he was itching to fire a weapon or something.

‘That’s probably why he’s so proud of that weapons collection of his,’ the engineer thought.

“Especially if we want Ch’vhare to stop his sporadic course changing,” Narensky said, speaking up[ from the forward ops console next to Pasko, her face displaying a sarcastic mood. The blonde-haired woman leaned back in her seat, her chair turned to face the center of the bridge. “He’s already changed his course several times in the past couple of hours alone. Maybe he needs to pull over to the side of the road and ask for directions?”

“And no gas station for light-years to pull into,” Pasko said, joining his sarcasm with hers.

“Hmmm,” was all Durzan said, his mind deep in thought.

“Captain,” Narensky said as she returned her attention back to her board. She had a hand pressed against the transceiver in her right ear.

“What is it, Miss Narensky?”

There was a complicated look on the woman’s face when her dark eyes looked up from her readouts and towards the Triton’s commanding officer. “It’s… it’s from the Invader, sir.” Her gaze turned to both Aerashai and Sokai. “They’re asking for… for you…?”

“Us… me?,” she whispered. “Why me?” She looked at Durzan, her blue-violet eyes filled with the fear of countless nightmares in them. Her lips trembled with fear when she spoke. “You wouldn’t let them take me back, will you? I-I’d rather kill myself b-b-before I had returned to that heartless monster!”

“He’ll either eat us like your crew or… or… steal our mind… like the Hive… on-on… the Cradle,” Sokai spoke, trying his own best to control his emotions and his fear of Ch’vhare. One of the earliest of Ch’vhare’s victims had been his mate, the Cradle’s second-in-authority on the Leadership Council and another, the leader of their starship from Sharfiyt, had been Aerashai’s eldest male sibling.

“That sounds like a request for asylum if I ever heard one, Captain,” Pasko pitched in, turning away from his station and looking at Aerashai, smiling his support to her. Durzan saw this and he sensed something between the young lieutenant and their female guest.
“I agree with Sean, ah, Lieutenant Pasko, Captain,” Delacroix agreed with his friend. “Miss Aerashai has provided us with some pretty valuable insights into their technology and we would be lax at not taking advantage of such information. Mr. Sokai’s own observations about Ch’vhare are –“

“The Sharfi assisted in the recovery of Commander Windsong and the surviving members of the away team, Captain.” This came from Valeris, her voice higher than the engineer’s, though she was a mystery to the rest of them as a newcomer. “I would like to believe that their participation would count for something, sir.”

“I was already planning on granting them asylum after I talked to Doctor Eilrin earlier, Commander Valeris.” The captain stood back up from his seated position and looked at Narensky while he walked over between the two forward stations. “On screen, Commander. Let’s see what this… Ch’vhare wants.”

Emeri Durzan’s bravery was admirable to Aerashai, her blue-violet eyes watching him. He put his hands on Pasko’s and Narensky’s shoulders as the field of stars sweeping past the ship at warp speeds disappeared and the aft image of the Cradle was replaced with an image of the Cha’saiyn pirate sitting at another jury-rigged throne in the alien starship’s auxiliary command center. The reptilian creature on the main screen now had a female of the Sharfi race, assimilated to Cha’saiyn standards standing beside him. Her fur-covered pelt was replaced with a chitinous shell that was magenta with patches of green, blue, and darker red stretching across it. She moved on a strong pair of naked legs and her arms were folded at her waist while her black eyes stared across the screen at Captain Durzan.

“I am Yormido, queen to Ch’vhare aboard the Sharfi star cruiser Cradle,” the Sharfi-turned Cha’saiyn announced with a series of alien phrases that the Universal Translator was able to translate into Federation Standard. The xenolinguist in Valeris recognized that the Cha’saiyn language almost resembled that of the Xindi-Reptilians and the Gorn, a reptilian species that the Federation had once been in conflict with.

“You will surrender your vessel… your crew… and prepare… Prepare to accept the loving embrace… of the Hive,” the pirate said, licking his lips before his eyes focused down on Aerashai who was hiding behind Commander Delacroix at the engineering panel. His eyes crossed over to Sokai who was hiding behind Seltus’ chair, his moist nose pressing against the back of his chair.

“No, no, no!,” Aerashai screamed, dropping down to her feet and shaking in fear. Her companion was as afraid as she was. Frozen in place, the Sharfi male wondered if these Federation people would be capable of returning the Cradle to his and his cousin’s custodianship so they could find their way home to Sharfiyt. All of them… and his people’s hopes… they not rested upon the broad shoulders of Captain Durzan and the crew of the U.S.S. Triton.

“Get them off the bridge now!” After barking at his chief engineer, Durzan continued to glare at Yormido and Ch’vhare with disgust and impunity. “This is Captain Durzan of the Starship Triton. You and your ‘Hive’ have threatened the people of this sector for the last time, Ch’vhare. You have thirty minutes to surrender your vessel or –“ He was interrupted by a struggle taking place behind him on the aft deck. This disturbance came from one of the Sharfi.

Sokai had moved from beyond Seltus and onto Taavr, pushing him away from his weapons console with all of his strength. After watching the large Tandaran work the controls, the Sharfi emissary understood the technology of the Triton’s weapons and he used the tactical sensors to target his own ship. Before the security officer and the others could stop him, he fired off a series of the devices that the hulking alien had called ‘torpedoes’ at the Cradle. On the screen, the view changed to show deadly spheres of blue energy sailing across space towards the alien ship. The torpedoes struck the unshielded vessel, stopping its warp traverse and sending it spiraling off in an uncontrolled circular direction. Shredded bits of debris from the mysterious metallic-crystalline hull littered nearby space, some of it harmlessly striking the Starfleet vessel’s shields.

“Full stop, Mister Pasko, now!,” Durzan shouted. “Red Alert, all hands to Battle Stations!”

Ch’vhare’s image reappeared within a static-filled medium, death and destruction raining around the Cha’saiyn in the Cradle’s auxiliary command center. Around him, the Hive crew struggled to regain control of their stolen vessel. “I hate it when my food fights back!,” he yelled, cursing Durzan and his crew in his own language before the signal was lost between both vessels.

“What would be their estimated course, Mr. Pasko?,” Valeris asked the helmsman, rising up to her feet from the first officer’s station. The Vulcan woman walked up beside Captain Durzan and she could see the anger in his eyes as he watched the Cradle bounce and twirl around space. The situation hadn’t resolved itself like he had planned it but it kept him from sending any more people into danger over on the Invader. The First Officer turned to Aerashai who was assisting Taavr and Seltus with extricating Sokai from the tactical console. His blue-green eyes were filled with a look of sheer madness and unfettered determination as they wrestled him to the deck. A minute flash of red-colored energy from the ruby gem on Aerashai’s chest zapped Sokai’s blue gem, sending her companion into unconsciousness.

“For a little guy, he feels like I’m carrying around a bag of gootazos!,” the Tandaran declared.
“
Take them both down to Sickbay and put both of them under guard, Mister Taavr,” came from Commander Valeris, her gaze turned towards them. The security officer and the science officer acknowledged her orders with ‘aye, ayes’ and ‘yes, ma’ams’.

“Commander, if I may -- ,” Pasko began.

“Remain seated, mister,” the captain ordered strictly. “Friendship is…” He paused for a moment,”… for later and not now.”

Aerashai and Sokai were escorted from the bridge under the guard of Taavr and Seltus and the joy that she felt in her heart couldn’t compare with the sorrow that she truly felt for the members of her race that still lived in stasis aboard the Cradle. She remembered Yormido, a spunky young girl who had been easily impressed with Ch’vhare when they had first found him. Like Sokai and her, the young caretaker’s assistant had survived the takeover of the Cradle.

After combining her energy with Sokai’s to render him unconscious, she felt her death would soon be upon her. As the two men carried them into an aft turbolift, the Sharfi closed her eyes and hoped for sweet redemption.



Darkness superseded with light when Aerashai opened her eyes. The faded but familiar face of Dr. Eilrin and Sito Laren, his Bajoran nurse were in her view with looks of concern on their faces. The Sharfi’s ears shifted up at Sito’s presence and there was something about her that made her a little uneasy around her, though now wasn’t the time to find out. She looked down and felt an energy field surrounding her and restraining her to the biobed that she was lying upon.

‘If I was truly distrustful of these Federation people, I could easily get myself free,’ she thought for a moment.

“What… why?!,” she asked, confusion on her face.

“Captain’s orders, Miss Aerashai,” the Deltan physician said, still as stoic as ever. “You and Mister Sokai are both confined to Sickbay until he can make a decision about your status aboard the Triton.”

“Will he put us off the ship?”

“That option will be part of his decision, though we may have to wait to implement that sort of decision,” he continued, his gaze turning to an unconscious Sokai on the biobed beside hers. He caused quite a scene for someone who’s such a small package as yourself.” A rare smile formed on his face for an instance before he returned to his usual stance. The baldheaded man walked off to his other duties as his nurse held up a cup with steam rising from it. It was hot chocolate from Drox’s private stash and not the kind you would usually get from a replicator.

“Can I trust you if I release the force field, ma’am?”

Aerashai stared at Sito for an instant. “What… what do you believe in, Nurse Sito?”

Sito held her breath before answering. “Back on Bajor, my home world, we show reverence to the Prophets of the Celestial Temple. They created us, love us, and teach us through their Orbs. I guess I haven’t been much of a follower since my sister died. I was only a kid myself then and the Cardassians…” She stopped to collect her thoughts.

Aerashai looked over at Sokai who was still unconscious on the biobed beside her, snoring fitfully. She looked back at the nurse to continue the conversation. “You lost a sibling?”

“Yes, fourteen years ago,” she continued,” my sister Jaxa… she is – was a security officer aboard the Enterprise and… and she volunteered for-for…,” there were tears in her eyes now,”… for a mission into Cardassian space to return one… of our spies and-and… the damned Cardies! They killed her, trying to get home! They…” She was openly shedding tears now and Eilrin came out of his officer, walking over to lead her away. There was a harsh glare on his face when he looked at Aerashai.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” she whispered as Sito was led into an adjacent glass-paneled room that served as the Chief Medical Officer’s office. The physician returned, marching directly for the female Sharfi’s bed. Anger soared from his nostrils as he approached her/

“Are you thrilled with yourself? It’s taken over fourteen years and thousands of hours of grief counseling for Laren to get over her sister’s death! And you bring it all back up for her! Well, thank you very much!” He stalked on back to his office, waving his hands angrily in the air.

A few moments passed in silence afterwards and Sokai said, returning to near-consciousness. “Um, uh… could someone remove my restraints, please? I promise… to be good? Hello?”

“Oh shut up, Sokai!”

Another zap from her gem sent him back to sleep.



Captain’s personal log, supplemental;

My first instinct would be to destroy the Invader and strand Ch’vhare on some uninhabited world. According to Lieutenant Seltus, however, he’s managed to crash-land his ship on the planet Rixion which is home to the Markham Valley Colony that was established over ten years ago by the crew of the U.S.S. Ranger. And of course, there is another variable to consider to this situation. In the last day since we last encountered them at Starbase 307, the Rkalans have contacted their high command and informed them about their standoff with the Triton. Commander Rui’lon and his ship, the Dyloriryas had joined us in orbit on the other side of the planet. I assume that the Compact wants the secrets of the Sharfi for themselves or they’re carrying out an ancient mandate to eliminate all Cha’saiyn in sight. This mandate certainly makes Ch’vhare one of the last remaining members of a dying race.
With all of the years of experience that I have at my fingertips, I feel like this situation is slowly falling more and more out of my control, despite Admiral Saavik’s casual suggestion that I turn command of the mission over to Captain Brazmarek of the de Gaulle

Sickbay’s doors opened sharply and both security guards assigned to watch over the Triton’s Sharfi guests turned to face their guest with raised phaser rifles. It was unexpected for the captain to walk through the door and they both quickly jumped to attention, lowering their weapons. Durzan raised a hand to set them at ease before he walked over to the set of biobeds where Sokai and Aerashai were restrained in place by a force field. Sokai was conscious not and whispering to the voices in his head while Aerashai appeared to be practicing a form of meditation that the Betazoid hadn’t seen a demonstration of since he assigned to protect Ambassador Valek on Bajor before the war. He could also see Rebecca Windsong still lying in the surgical bay, wearing patient garb while sleeping comfortably in a coma.

“I can see that the accommodations can use some redecorating. I’ll have to talk to my interior decorator, maybe get you some curtains or a picture here and there.”

Aerashai opened her eyes to watch him and Sokai stared anxiously up at the ceiling, unamused by the Betazoid’s wry humor.

“So do you have any answers to explain your actions on the bridge, Mister Sokai? Because I have a very real and a very serious can of worms spilling over me right now.” He dragged a chair over between both biobeds and sat down after deactivating the restraining force field with a simple voice command. “Naturally I would be within my legal rights as captain to sentence a crewmember to extra duties or to punish them with a reduction in rank. But I don’t have that option here because you’re still considered guests of this ship and under my protection. Doctor Noel, my ship’s counselor, had apparently told me that if I tried to put either of you off the ship then –“

“’Answers’? Is this how you bargain for the lives of your crew? What about my fellow Sharfi aboard the Cradle? I still have family on that ship!,” Sokai growled back at him, his voice growing desperate. His interruption didn’t endear him any further to the Triton’s captain any more than when he came aboard, committing crimes on the bridge of the Charleston-class starship.

Durzan harrumphed at this. “And firing on them… saved them?”

“How do you think I feel after what you did, cousin?!,” Aerashai shouted back at him with a flair for the dramatic. “Sean Pasko tells me that the good captain has seen more than enough horror for the both of us. He was probably out saving the Galaxy while we were staining our wrappings at morning meal when we were younglings!”

‘Do I really seem that old?,’ Durzan asked himself.

She closed her eyes and wondered,’ What are my options here?’ She could accept the captain’s gracious offer of temporary freedom in lieu of a cell or she could forget about her family, her friends, and everything that had made her into the person that had saved Rebecca, Delacroix, and Sean from the Cradle. Her strongest convictions told her that she was going to have to atone with the good Captain Durzan over the incident on the bridge. At this point, she would be lucky that he didn’t order Sokai tossed out into the cold, harsh, airless environment of outer space because he was really ruining their chances of possibly getting home.

“What do you want me to do?”

“We need your help,” Durzan explained to her in one breath. “When we were assigned to this region of space to explore, we were left without much data.”

“Data?”

“And while Valeris is filling in for Commander Windsong, I need someone who’s familiar with the cultures, customs, languages, and needed facts of the races that we’re bound to encounter. Because face it or not, we’ll probably be heading out onto the road to Erewhon after this mission.”

“What is this… Erewhon?”
“Erewhon, Aerashai, is a Betazoid belief that no matter where you go, whomever you may meet, or wherever you happen to lay your head down at night, you’re home. “You see, since my home world was invaded by the Dominion during the war, the Triton has been my Erewhon, my home.”

‘These Federation people aren’t necessarily boring!’

“Don’t… don’t you have someone else to slave for you? We’re… we’re going home… home to… to Sharfiyt!,” Sokai blurted out in his angry delirium. He didn’t like the fact that his cousin was practically hooked on the possibility of giving her life to this man and to his ‘United Federation of Planets’. Even if they were able to get the Cradle back and restore it to its original specifications, he wasn’t sure if Aerashai’s heart would permit her to stay in that place after rescuing any of their surviving colleagues from the stasis chambers. Both of them had been through so much death and destruction in Ch’vhare’s keep that he didn’t want either of them to become pawns of the Hive or anyone ever again.

“I accept your kind offer, Captain. Now…,” the Sharfi asked politely, looking around the Sickbay as if she had a secret to impart,”… can you get me out of here… please?”

“I protest, cousin. As Emissary, I,” her insane friend bellowed at her,” … we’re going home… and… and…” the light from the ruby in Aerashai’s chest glowed brightly towards the topaz in Sokai’s chest. After the sharing of energy, he instantly dropped back into the dream lands. His heavy snoring drew a smile from the Triton’s commanding officer as he helped her down off the biobed.

“He sure is a lightweight, isn’t he?”

“He certainly has his moments…”



“Our sensors have detected that Ch’vhare and his Hive had departed the Invader after its crash-landing on the planet’s northwestern continent,” Lieutenant Seltus reported, addressing the senior staff while they sat gathered around the table in the Triton’s briefing room. The Vulcan was standing beside a large monitor screen where the raw data from the sensors was displayed. On the opposite side stood Lt. Commander Amber Narensky. Seated at the round table were Commander Valeris, Lt. Commander Delacroix, Doctor Eilrin, Lieutenant Taavr, Doctor Noel, and Doctor Ghran. The Tellarite’s eyes crossed over the room, suspicious of any intent made by the ship’s officers since he had little trust for Starfleet officers. The only person missing from the staff meeting was Emeri Durzan who had informed them that he would be tardy and that they should carry on with the meeting in his absence.

“And the Invader itself?,” Chief Engineer Delacroix asked them since he wanted to get another look at the Sharfi technology.

Narensky answered this question. “Our scans show that the torpedoes struck the midsection of the Invader’s hull, damaging or destroying most of their environmental and life-support systems except the stasis decks. Other systems were damaged as well by the crash but the Hive appears to be making repairs as we speak, Mr. Delacroix.”

“What is our tactical situation, Mister Taavr?,” Valeris asked the security chief.

“Well,” the Tandaran lieutenant said,” the Rkalan vessel remains in a geosynchronous orbit on the other side of the planet. They haven’t done anything to threat us yet.”

“They’re probably waiting for you to reach out and threaten them.”

“And your recommendation?,” the Vulcan woman asked, ignoring the civilian scientist.

“Other than blowing them out of the sky?”

“Other than that, Doctor Ghran,” she scolded him, annoyed by his interruptions.

“We could stall them for now,” recommended Narensky,” and if they want us to do something about the Invader and Ch’vhare, then we do it. He’s not threatening the colony yet and neither are the Rkalans.”

“Well, they should say so long and be on their damned merry way,” Ghran blurted out loud. “Besides these colonists knew what they were getting into when they came out here.”

“I disagree, Doctor,” voiced the opinion of Doctor Helen Noel. The former Enterprise psychiatrist focused her sights on the pointy-eared commander and she appeared to be deep in thought before she continued,” Any communications made with the Rkalans should be open and straightforward before and after diplomacy begins.”

“I’d recommend contacting them and offering to pool our resources,” Doctor Eilrin suggested.

“That would be a logical plan to me, Commander,” Seltus said as he and Narensky sat down at their places at the table.

The Tellarite scientist ignored the counselor and the science officer, leaning forward with his hand pressed down flat against the surface of the table. He appeared to be angry but it was difficult to tell with his rock-hard demeanor. “You’re all nuts! We should leave a crater where the damned Invader lies and call it a day. I’d rather be wallowing in mud on Risa!”

‘Bloodthirsty savage,’ Delacroix thought, frowning at him.

“Your objections are noted, Doctor,” Commander Valeris said before she rose up from her chair while still facing everyone. She didn’t show it but she was nervous because of her naivety in command situations. The empty chair in the room made her wish that Captain Durzan was here to chair this meeting instead of her. While Rebecca Windsong languished in Sickbay, it was her duty as Acting First Officer to present options to the captain, settle problems between the crew, manage their resources, and whatever other duties that he might assign to her. After this mission, she held onto the hope that she would be permanently assigned as second-in-command of this vessel by either Starfleet Command or by the captain as to end the dead-end career that she had enjoyed for the last eighty-seven years.

“I have decided that two away teams will beam down to the surface. The first team will perform reconnaissance on Ch’vhare and will be led by me,” the commander continued in a calm and controlled manner. “The second team will go to the central colonial settlement and prepare a defense there, in case either the Hive or the Rkalans attack. That team will be led by –“

“Me,” a voice penetrated the briefing room from the room’s entrance. Captain Durzan stood in the open doorway with Aerashai standing in front of him. His hands on her shoulders gave the Sharfi assurance as she stood there in a gold Starfleet jumpsuit. There were no rank insignias on her collar but she did wear a combadge, proving that she was now seen as a member of the crew despite Sokai’s earlier actions.

“I’ll be leading the away team down to the settlement, leaving Commander Narensky in command of the ship while –“ A cough from the chief engineer interrupted him and it drew his hardened gaze upon him. Both the captain and the Sharfi walked deeper into the briefing room, allowing the poor door to slide shut behind them.

“Captain, I shouldn’t be speaking in the place of Commander Valeris or Miss Narensky but… but you, being the captain, should remain with the ship… sir.”

“Pete, explain yourself,” Emeri ordered as he assumed the empty chair at the round meeting table. He rested his hands in his lap while he waited for his friend to share his opinion with him. In previous years since he had obtained the rank of Captain, he had gotten so used to beaming down to unfamiliar worlds and into dangerous situations that he didn’t always agree with Starfleet’s policy towards keeping their starship captains out of harm’s way.
The Triton’s captain didn’t believe himself to be a mere voyeur who stood on the sidelines and just watched events unfold in front of him because he believed himself to be the type of man who shared in the danger and in the fear of death that everyone else under his command would experience.

“I won’t stress the fact that Starfleet regulations don’t permit a commanding officer to beam down into a dangerous situation. In this case, my only point is that we’re shorthanded in the command department. Rebecca Windsong is lying below decks in a coma and while Valeris is a fine Vulcan officer, she doesn’t have much in the way of command training. There are few here who do except for myself and Doctor Noel and she’s sworn off of the position.

“Now we’re lost some people that we’ve known for years and we have some new people who only just came aboard at Starbase 307,” he continued with his French ere rising as he spoke. “My point, Emeri, is that you should stay aboard Triton and allow either Lieutenant Taavr or myself to lead the team beaming down to defend the settlement. It sounds right in my mind that the Captain should stay with his ship.”

“Damn it, Pete,” Durzan began.

“Captain,” Valeris spoke up,” Mr. Delacroix’s assessment is logical.”

“Oh, let the big baby have his bottle, ya pointy-eared –,” started from Ghran but a look from Durzan silenced him.

“I’ve never believed in playing it safe, Commander Valeris. Does everyone here feel the same way?” ‘Ayes’ and ‘yes, sirs’ echoed across the room.

“Then I guess that this ‘conspiracy’ by my officers will get its damned way. Lieutenant Taavr,” the captain said before addressing the Tandaran security officer,” inform the Chief of the Boat that he’ll be leading the security detachment detailed to colonial defense. Pete, you’ll remain aboard in Engineering.” His dark eyes narrowed on the engineer and the Frenchman automatically understood that the order was given because he spoke out of turn against him.

“You don’t want me down there, sir?,” Taavr asked. “It could be quite a battle down there.”

“I want my best tactician up here manning the guns so to speak.”

“Might I ask about my own duties, Captain?,” Aerashai wondered, standing beside the captain, her head craned towards him. Despite her awe and excitement over being asked to join them, the Sharfi still felt some trepidation around these taller creatures.

Valeris looked at Durzan with a curious look on her face. “As I am not human and do not comprehend the intricacies of humor, I do need to ask about Miss Aerashai’s presence here at this mission briefing, sir. Especially due to the fact that her colleague, Mister Sokai, temporarily acquired access to our weapons and fired on the Invader.”

“She didn’t do it, Commander!” The captain’s emotional rebuke didn’t seem to even faze the Vulcan woman. “Aerashai is now a civilian consultant aboard this ship. After this mission, her status aboard the Triton will be re-examined by me and Admiral Saavik. Until then, the decision has been made based on the fact that she knows Ch’vhare and that – “

“—I’ve lived among the Hive in forced servitude for many rotation cycles,” the Sharfi piped in, continuing his sentence,” plus I know all of his customs, his social habits – everything.”

“He has social habits?,” Taavr quipped briefly before returning to a more serious manner.

“Because from the away team’s after-action reports about this Ch’vhare,” Seltus said, trying to keep the meeting on-topic,” his group have a hive-like mentality that is unusual for a member of a reptilian species. If the Cha’saiyn were more insectoid, then I would speculate that fighting the Hive would resemble fighting the Borg.”

“Except without that bit about resistance being futile and our weapons actually work for once,” Narensky casually pitched in. best among all of the senior officers gathered together in the briefing room, the operations officer knew best what the Borg could do since she was one of the survivors from the U.S.S. Ahwahnee at the Battle of Wolf 359. Everyone except Aerashai and the Vulcan officers laughed at that approximation of Ch’vhare. She didn’t believe that this was a time for laughter while she was still having nightmares. Her alliance with Captain Durzan was held together by the condition that he would free her people aboard the Cradle and help them find their way home to Sharfiyt.

“The point is that she has abilities and talents that this situation calls for,” Doctor Eilrin said, speaking for one of those rare moments since the meeting began. “After spending some time observing Miss Aerashai, I can conclude that she’s infinitely qualified to assist us in this venture.”

“Will that be all, sir?,” Lieutenant Taavr asked after the doctor’s pronouncement. He was anxious to move onto the next step of their mission.

“Everyone’s dismissed… except for Aerashai.”

The senior staff filled out of the briefing room as Durzan rose up out of his seat. He walked over to one of the windows in the briefing room, his dark eyes looking out into the star-streaked blackness of space and onto the world below them. The swirls of blue and green almost made him feel homesick for his beloved Betazed but those thoughts of home quickly dissolved into this situation with Aerashai.

“I have a question for you. What’s wrong?”

“Pardon me?”

“What crawled up your ass and died?”

“Now you see, I am confused.”

Durzan sighed, turning around to face her. “And I’m a Betazoid. I can read minds and emotions and since you’ve come aboard this ship, I’ve been sensing feelings from you… feelings of suspicion, anger… and downright paranoia. Now, at first, I thought I was picking up on Sokai’s mind. But then I saw poor Lieutenant Sito crying in Eilrin’s office earlier after she talked with you. So I have to ask, unofficially, of course if…”

“Captain, I – “ She broke down into tears, covering her face with her hands. Turning away from the Triton’s commanding officer, she rested her head down on the tabletop after sitting down in the chair that he had vacated. The Sharfi cried out all of her anguish, her fear, and the nervousness that she felt since leaving the Cradle. “With all of the deaths and-and Sokai –“

“Yes, I understand now. If you’ve like to see our ship’s counselor,” the Betazoid suggested, crossing his arms over his chest.

The Sharfi looked up from the tabletop and her tear-stained blue-violet eyes pierced into him with a scornful glimmer. “You must think I’m glitched or something.”

“Not at all, Miss -- “

“Captain Durzan… if you will… give me a chance… I… “ A new bout of tears ran down her cheeks with fresh emotion and dark thoughts stabbing into her with the knives of regret.

Emeri took a moment for her to compose herself. Some time had passed since he had dealt with the emotions of another person and when he had assumed command of the Triton, there had been assurances made by Starfleet that his time-lost ship’s counselor would be well-equipped to handle this kind of emotional breakdown. Still, he did feel some sympathy towards this young woman because he remembered what it was like to feel unsure of one’s self and one’s abilities.

“Aerashai,” he began,” I know what it’s like to… to feel… unsure of yourself.” He stopped for a moment before he confessed something deep and revealing about himself in his attempt to console her. “You see, back when I was an ensign and fresh out of the Academy, I was assigned to the U.S.S. Wyvren and…”

[Captain Universe]

Chapter Six

The cavern hummed with the sounds of flapping wings of the Rixionite natives who flew into the underground chamber by the hundreds. Oddly enough, it was their skin tones that were only slightly graduated into varied shades of honey.

A few of the female-oriented aliens carried with them only what could be described as some kind of sentient lifeform in their arms. From their heads down to what could only be their waistlines, the newcomers appeared to be almost like Human children if they had four arms and bluish-green skin. With large almond-shaped eyes, their spines continued downward and the native Rixionites supported themselves on muscular, tough-skinned tails that were different from a set of bipedal legs. They moved with a grace that undulated motion when they set down upon the dirt-covered floor, their eyes staring curiously at the uniformed interlopers.

Finally there was silence...

One of the winged figured climbed up onto a dais-like rock formation while the other natives watched with a mixture of awe and respect. Then it – no – he, despite his long flaxen hair – turned to face the entire assembly of his community. Intelligence glittered in his calm but serious emerald eyes as they settled down onto the humanoid forms of Commander Valeris and her team from the Starship Triton. As this highly-respected individual lifted a hand in a slow-beckoning gesture, a female that had enough of a physical similarity to be his sister approached the rock and turned to face the away team with a metallic spear clutched in her right hand.

“Vath rrosh,” she pronounced in her own tongue, her deep green eyes hardening while her firm displeasure carried over the silent throng of the concerned citizens of their community,” tayt cherrev nu shauni Rrach vevith deyn t’sshao nnerredthd tunithev?”

Her weapon-carrying arm extended slowly towards the Starfleet officers and through her expression was both outrageous and strict, the motion was definitely controlled since she was using the spear for emphasis and not a true threat. The Universal Translator circuit in the away team’s combadges couldn’t put their language into anything understandingly meaningful yet but the gist of her words was clear to the Sharfi with them.

They were screwed.

Aerashai’s thoughts were filled with worry, regret, and fear while she stood amongst the members of the away team that Commander Valeris had lead down to Rixion. ‘How is Valeris supposed to respond to the crimes of the colonists when we didn’t commit them ourselves?,’ she asked herself since she had a sense to translate alien languages easily. It had been a part of her training back home. ‘And what about Ch’vhare? Aren’t they concerned about him and the Hive? They’re even bigger idiots than those colonists who landed here and took what isn’t theirs!’

All of the Rixionites waited and watched patiently, some of them with angry expectancy, some of them with curiosity, and few of the rest filled with xenophobic skepticism.

“How long have these Federation colonists remained at odds with these people?
Since they arrived? If it’s a regular practice for them to go into some alien hatchery and slaughter children, then… how… how many lives have been lost already? And how many more will be lost? How… how will they survive… as a people since Sokai was so foolish to release Ch’vhare onto their world!’

Into the silence piped up a soft voice from Aerashai’s lips,” Sshayti, veirreno tayanich rrosh duchuch came to my defense and healed me from my hurts and pains.” The Sharfi woman felt entranced with every step and every word as she blindly stepped past the protection of Doctor Eilrin and towards the dais rock with her right hand lifted up in a beseechingly manner. “They clothed me when I was cold and naked. They spoke comforting words into my ear, though I could not understand them at first. I beg you… for my sake… show them the same mercy that they showed me.”

After her speech began in the native language of the Rixionites did the translator circuit in the combadge that Captain Durzan gave her finally analyze enough of the alien grammar and syntax to translate their language into Federation Standard.

“How do you know their language, Aerashai?,” Valeris asked her in a tone that had a touch of suspicion in it.

Aerashai patted the gem underneath the unfamiliar gold jumpsuit that she was wearing and smiled with both her eyes and mouth. “I just pick things up a little faster than some people, Commander.”

“Is that a fact?”

The male and the female – siblings or one of them was the other’s parent – exchanged varying looks of surprise while astonishment rippled through the gathered crowd of community members. The woman replied to Aerashai’s oration with,” It is a difficult request that you make of us, little one. Let these… criminal-strangers… speak for themselves. The crimes that their people stand trial for are the most serious of crimes among our kind.”

She emphasized her point again with slightly controlled motions of her spear before she lifted her stern and disapproving eyes to the Starfleet personnel again, awaiting an answer from their leader. It was better to play out this situation carefully or it could worsen to the point that there could be open war between the Markham Valley colonists and the native Rixionites. They had hidden away their society so well underground that they hadn't been found by anyone of the survey teams from the colony until recently. The colonists and their families had been shipped to this world from all over the United Federation of Planets to the Markham Valley Colony with the promise of working this fertile land of promise, mining the almost endless deposits of dilithium, duranium, and other precious metals found in the rocks.

Stepping forward with her palms raised in surrender like Aerashai did before her came the Vulcan woman who appeared to be the Starfleet group’s leader. The awe of her presence among the community dissipated in mere moments once she looked up at the male on the dais rock. “My name is Valeris and I come in peace from the Starship Triton,” she said, even though her announcement earned her a dubious and suspicious glare from the female inquisitor. “We have come to stop the –“

“We have seen your people, building their structures where they are not wanted. They tarnish our land… our air… our water… with their devices, their poisons,” the female inquisitor interrupted her speech with restrained anger and her gaze hardened while she turned to address the audience. “They take what isn't theirs and worse yet… they slaughter our children! You,” she turned towards Valeris and empathized her point with the tip of her spear, its sharp point pressing against the Vulcan’s chest in a threatening posture,” are not welcome here! You and all of your people… will… leave… here… now!”

“Could you not just share the planet with us?,” Aerashai once found herself speaking. The Sharfi didn’t realize that, at first, that she wasn’t like any other member of the away team since she conducted herself with an air of mature composure. “From what I have gathered from our ship’s sensors, your race mainly inhabits over twenty-five percent of this planet and most of the continent that you live on is swampland and… and these underground provinces. Maybe with diplomacy and some assistance from the Federation, we can –“

The Sharfi was interrupted by the dissatisfied and outrageous grumblings of the winged natives, a particular group of them that were hovered close to the dais stone. The serpentine creatures began to tremble with a strain of fear on their faces, clinging with all of their hands to the closet individual. Each of them could sense the marauding forces of Ch’vhare and the Hive, marching close to them and to the hidden precincts of their home.

“Silence!,” the spear-bearer cried out to her people, bringing an uneasy and angry quietness back to their surroundings. Even she was scared of these invaders more than the Triton’s away team but she still felt brave enough not to show her fear to Valeris and her people.

Aerashai continued to speak despite the dangerous glares that the Rixionites were leveling at her. “—and the Hive will not spare any of you. If you help us defeat Ch’vhare, then your entire way of life can continue with very little to hear from the colonists or… from us. Ch’vhare is a bloodthirsty, sadistic, mindless, killing, people-eaters who – “

The outcries began again, only more vehemently than before.

“I called for silence!,” the female barked at all of them, lifting her spear up away from the commander, striking the butt of it on the dirt floor. Then the point of the woman’s spear descended down towards Aerashai who only stared at it cross-eyed with the fear of her own death flashing before her eyes. “You will answer for the crimes of your people, strangers! We… the people demand it!”

The spear gestured around in an arc at the group of people that protested the most in this communal assembly. “These people,” she continued with a wild look in her auburn-colored eyes,” have family members who were murdered and killed while weaponless out in the Wilds! Slaughtered and helpless in their cocoons, we have burned farms and set free livestock in response to your peoples’ attacks on us! But let it be known… that we have killed none… Not yet, for we are not the barbarians who murder children! So… we will send you back to your people with a warning! Set foot again on our holy ground or molest us where we live and… and there will be war!”



The U.S.S. Triton held a tight watch in orbit over Rixion’s northern pole while their opposite number, a Rkalan battle cruiser kept a safe distance over the southern pole. The situation was steaming hot with the Markham Valley colonists, the Cradle, the Hive of Ch’vhare, and the Rkalans who had conveniently claimed territorial jurisdiction over this part of the sector even though that it had been originally claimed by an emissary of the United Federation of Planets, namely the crew of the Starship Ranger.

Activity on the bridge was quiet though filled with tension. There were only a few people on duty during the night shift with the operations manager occupying the center seat. Amber Narensky watched over the bridge while the myriad of her thoughts were on the away teams deployed down to the surface. Commander Valeris’ team was reconnoitering several miles from the site of the Cradle’s crash landing. Though it was practically an ocean away from where the colony was located, the away team was late with their last scheduled check-in with the ship. Their failure to contact the ship had caused an inch to irritate her between her shoulder blades.

‘I should get some analgesic cream or something from Sickbay once I get off-duty.”
The whooshing sound of the port turbolift’s sliding doors pushed her immediate thoughts away and she heard two pairs of footsteps come out onto the bridge. Narensky rose up from the captain’s chair when Captain Durzan descended down into the command area with the second pair of feet belonging to Doctor Helen Noel. The captain’s dark eyes looked at the young officer and he could sense her feelings of incompatibility and the fearful tension that was thick in the room.

“Have we heard anything yet from Valeris’ team?,” he asked with an undercurrent of concern.

“Nothing since their scheduled check-ins at 1800 and again at 2031 after they beamed down, sir,” the second officer reported with a negative shake of her head. She stepped forward and relieved the ensign occupying her position at the ops console.

“I have had the topographic sensors directed towards the area of their reconnoiter,” Seltus reported from the science station. Like most Vulcans, he could stay on duty for a long time. “Their combadges appear to blocked out by the local geology.”

“Quite convenient if Ch’vhare’s captured them,” Noel said, playing the devil’s advocate.

“I think that there would be some warning if they were dead, Doctor,” Emeri commented before returning his attention to Ops. “Can we punch through the interference by increasing the gain of our signal? Or by dropping them a line over the colony’s communications satellite network?”

“Impressive suggestions, sir,” the blonde smiled. “How do you know so much about communications?”

“I’ve dabbled some.”

The captain stood over her right shoulder with his arms casually crossed over his chest. He looked down at the ops console’s display and saw himself with a job to do and with little time to coddle his crew after Admiral Saavik had called again, demanding an update. Helping Aerashai earlier through her predicament was only good personnel relations work on his part but he considered it to be more than that if he was going to place his trust in her. His mind wandered back a little, recalling that his career in Starfleet had begun with a woman that he had met while attending Starfleet Academy. He remembered that his passion for Kathryn Janeway had been inexhaustible then… and it had been… his failing. His feelings for his fellow cadet had gone unrequited and he almost left the academy in disgrace if it hadn’t been for the advice of his old friend Ariel, the captain of the Tesla.

The shift from alertness to outright worry in Commander Narensky pulled him back to the present.

“The local deposits of kelonite are obscuring our sensors, Captain, and only someone on the ground would be able to carry out a search for the commander’s team,” she reported. Next to her, Lieutenant Pasko restrained an anxious sigh because apparently the helmsman hadn’t given up in the hopeful possibility of a relationship with Aerashai. His main concern was that he wondered if she would be either capable or willing to return the love and affection that he felt for her.

“What about a shuttlecraft?,” Noel suggested.

“What about a shuttlecraft?,” a dark and sinister voice asked them from behind.
Sokai entered the bridge before taking a spot standing near the starboard turbolift while being escorted by two security officers. Somehow learning about his presence aboard the Triton, Commander Rui’lon of the Dyloriryas had demanded his release from Sickbay and the captain was forced to concede to the request on a diplomatic standpoint despite the Sharfi’s earlier actions. Because of the Rkalan treaty with the Sharfi in the past and ignoring his interference with the Starfleet vessel and its crew, Rui’lon had ordered him to remain aboard as an official government liaison against the objections of Captain Durzan. He didn’t even inquire about his cousin when they had spoken earlier in the captain’s ready room, two hours before the away teams have beamed down to the planet.

“Your Chief of the Boat’s security detachment is still located in the main settlement of Markham Valley colony, Captain Durzan, accompanied by security drones from the Dyloriryas. It would make good sense to send your people to find Commander Valeris’ team instead of wasting shuttlecrafts on them. I would think that your Vulcan slave woman would be quite capable of commanding a mere away mission.”

‘Of course, he would suggest sending them to find Valeris’ team as an excuse for the Rkalans to annex the colony and the planet,’ Durzan thought to himself, pausing when he realized the slur that he had made against his Acting First Officer.

“The everyday operations of this ship are no concern of yours, Mister Sokai,” was quickly whispered enough that the Sharfi could hear him.

“Are you sure, Captain? Because I believe that I am more than capable of commanding this ship while you take a rest.”

‘Oh, no, he didn’t! The bastard!,’ Pasko said to himself.

“That would be a good suggestion, Mr. Sokai, if I wanted to entertain any damn ideas from that rotten melon that you wear for a head! It’s your faulty that we’re even here in the first place!” Emeri Durzan’s stern gaze and clenched fists gave Sokai the impression that the Betazoid was going to be physically violet towards him. He took a single step forward towards him to denote his annoyance at how easily the Rkalans had forgiven him for his crime against the Federation since they apparently didn’t know what had happened earlier on the bridge. Ever since the Sharfi had come aboard the Triton with his cousin Aerashai, both men just seem to consistently rub each other the wrong way.

‘Why is he second-guessing the captain, baiting him like this? Doesn’t he realize that the situation is under control?,’ Noel wondered privately to herself. ‘That Emeri Durzan holds this command for a reason?’

“You should have already been maintaining a secure presence on this world before ours or Ch’vhare’s arrival, Captain,” the Sharfi retorted with a scowl while placing emphasis on his rank. His ignorance for Humans and this Betazoid in particular, was openly perceptible and he would never know about the captain’s past since Starfleet command had classified large portions of his Starfleet records, years ago from the public and even from other Starfleet officers after his time in Starfleet Intelligence.

“As you well know from your own people, the natives of this world are dangerous savages!,” he growled angrily with an evil fervor in his blue-green eyes. His behavior had changed for the worse since the bridge incident. “They should be hunted down and eliminated from existence! Never to be seen again!”

Durzan felt something sharp and uneasy rising up from the pit of his stomach at Sokai’s bitter statement. His eyes narrowed on the so-called Sharfi emissary, his shoulder bunching up and his fists tensed up in the face of such a challenge.
Fortunately for both of them, Helen Noel spoke up before he could assault the little maggot. She spoke in a cold stoic voice that could only have matched Doctor Eilrin, syllable by syllable if the doctor wasn’t down on the surface with Valeris’ away team.

“I disagree with you, Mister Sokai,” the psychiatrist said. “This is a colonial establishment settled by the Federation and if the Rkalans don’t like how Starfleet performs its duties, then they shouldn’t have bowed out of the Federation during the war.”

“If I had been consulted on this matter from the very beginning, Doctor Noel, then I would have been against this alliance in the beginning! May the Fates hang you both!” With his newly-acquired racism vented onto the bridge, he turned his back on the Starfleet officers and marched back into the turbolift that he had come out from, his escorts following closely behind him. The Sharfi’s rage still lingered in the air after his departure.

“Talk about a closed mind,” retorted Taavr.

“Quite closed, indeed,” Noel agreed with the Tandaran.

“Mister Taavr, contact the COB and order him to keep a closer watch on those Rkalan
thingamabobs,” Durzan ordered him, the commander of the Triton sitting down in his command chair and sighing heavily with his hands clenching the armrests hard enough to chase away the anger that he felt for Sokai and the situation in general. “I think that I may have made things harder for those people down on the planet.” He looked at Noel who took a seat in the chair reserved for her use on the bridge.

“You just had to speak up and tell him off, didn’t you?,” he asked, grinning at the counselor.

“You never let me have any fun anymore,” was her response. “Keeping it all for yourself.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing. Captain’s privilege and all.”


“Triton to Bravo Team,” the hard voice of Lieutenant Taavr came over Master Chief Petty Officer Mak Sendon’s combadge while the Brikar non-com and the administrator of the Markham Valley colony walked down a sidewalk on Main Street. They had been discussing security arrangements for his forces before the call came through. Slinging his phaser rifle over his shoulder, he tapped his combadge to respond to the security chief’s hail.

“Excuse me, Administrator,” he told Bordu Edak, the portly, rotund, and almost ancient-looking Rigelian scientist who found himself elected to the position of Colony Administrator through his popularity as a hardcore researcher among the scientific cadre of the settlement.

“Of course, Mister Sendon.”

“Go ahead, Lieutenant,” the Chief of the Boat answered after moving over to one side of the sidewalk. He wanted to keep communications between the ship and himself private until he thought it was the right time to inform the administrator or his team. Especially with this Ch’vhare and his Hive down on the planet’s surface, threatening the sedate populace of this colony.

“This is Durzan, Chief Sendon,” the voice of the captain replaced Taavr’s. “I’m letting you know that Mister Sokai has left the ship for the Dyloriryas and that through his advice, Commander Rui’lon is threatening to remove all of our personnel from the surface including the colonists. With Rixion apparently lying so close to territory claimed by the Rkala Compact, they disapprove of a Starfleet vessel and a Federation colony in this area of their occupation.”

“Are they going to annex the planet, sir?”

“Probably only based on the observations of Sokai, Chief. I can’t even get in touch with Valeris’ team and they seem to be blanketing the area with anti-lepton interference so we can’t even contact Starfleet.”

“Situation sounds grim, sir.” Sendon sighed, first looking at Edak before his vision became buried in all of the buildings and assorted races of people moving around him, living, eating, breathing… existing… With all of this beauty surrounding him, the old soldier couldn’t believe that this world could be so easily given over to the Rkalans or to anyone else for that matter without a fight. It reminded him of his previous association with the Maquis before the Dominion had wiped them all out. It had been Captain Durzan who had seen something in him and given him a chance, taking him on as a member of his crew when no one else would when he returned to Starfleet.

“That it is, Mister Sendon.”

‘These Rkalans are crazy,’ he told himself. “So what are my orders, Captain?”

“Defend those civilians to the best of your ability, Chief Sendon. We’ll be beaming down additional security personnel down with Lieutenant Nassai as we speak.”

“Nassai? Isn’t he that little weasel of a Rotka who cheats at dom-jot on Friday nights in Forward Watch, sir? You know, the supply officer who swears in Klingon?”

“He’s still an officer in this crew, Mr. Sendon despite the fact that he’s only qualified enough to get me non-replicated mint chocolate ice cream for movie night. But I feel that an officer should be down there if this all goes to court-martial. Even if he’s more crooked than that Ferengi who owes me three bars of gold-pressed latinum on Deep Space Nine.” The captain paused for a moment in thought. “Look, you should ask Administrator Edak about detailing some of his own militia to your command.”

“Understood, sir. There still hasn’t been any further communication with Commander Valeris’ team?”

“Nothing yet but I suspect that the commander is probably in the thick of all of this.”


“Sehayti,” a male Rixionite cried out with open hatred in his amber eyes,” this is not enough! My brother, my mother, my daughter – your son – all killed at the bloody hands of their colonists! The dead will not sing again!” He put a hand on the hilt of a dagger that he wore on his leather belt but he didn’t dare draw it from its scabbard. “We should split their lying tongues from their bodies before we send them back to Markham Valley!”

An older female continued the other’s speech. “They slaughtered my sons, murdered my daughter and her unborn offspring in the open field – and I-I will have no more children! I want restitution for my family line!” the flaxen-haired male and the female exchanged a weighty and communicative glance. Into the silence came the eerie rattling of their wings as they flew back into the crowded assembly.

“Sehayti,” Aerashai pleaded with the leader of this community after she realized that the lives of the away team were in his hands,” I beg you – of all those wronged by the colonists – I beg you – don’t lift your hunting tools in violence against these people! Those that are standing here before you are not murderers and it would be barbaric of you to punish the innocent. Let them return, pack up the colonists and their belongings before we leave you alone in peace after the most binding of oaths.”
The pair on the rock dais gazed for a long time as the Starfleet officers and their uniforms. “You… little one… why do you step forth? Why do you speak for these people? Are you responsible for them? Are you their keeper?”

“No… I am merely…,” the Sharfi, her violet-blue eyes moving towards Valeris, her immediate superior once she accepted the captain’s offer. “This one, Commander Valeris, she is the person that you should speak with. She is the captain’s emissary.”
All eyes turned to the Vulcan, the silence thick with tension and her face grew pale as she gulped her next breath. ‘What do I do? What do I say?,” she asked herself with the voice in her head sounding more nervous than when she killed Burke and Samno aboard the Enterprise-A. ‘Anything that I say to them could accomplish or discredit any chance that we have for negotiations – or for peace.’

She took another breath before speaking and she suddenly say the light. In her mind, she considered the native woman’s question and she thought back to the events of the last two days. Looking at Aerashai, the acting first officer of the Triton knew exactly what she was going to say to the assembly gathered her.

“Two-point-six days ago,” she said with a logical clarity that she had never felt before as she moved over to stand beside Aerashai,” I did not know this woman. She was… a stranger… and an unknown among many. She was a captive of Ch’vhare, a being who is killing… eating… and converting people to his Hive… your children… What she had spoken in our presence before now is the truth. After reviewing the records of our encounters with him, I have seen what he can do to a person.”

“He’s a terrible and despicable person who should be wiped out of existence!,” Doctor Eilrin shouted from the back.

Aerashai looked up at the woman beside her and a tear slipped down the side of her face before her gaze returned to the dais rock, her teams visible to the away team’s captors. What she had to say next was new news to the Triton officers since it hadn’t been recorded into the report that she had made for Captain Durzan. “I was… assaulted by a member of the Hive. He had been… one of my companions aboard the Cradle – our ship – and I don’t blame him or any other members of my species for what had been done to them. I won’t ask for any vengeance against them, nor do I seek a life debt for any of my fellow Sharfi.

“This woman… she… she is… my friend and it is this friend who came with me and her people to fight… to fight for you… and for the colonists that-that you hate more than I have ever seen anyone ever hate before. This hate had blinded you to… to your past… your present… and to your future. You and the colonists need each other to make this world work and to defeat Ch’vhare and his Hive who see you all as nothing but… but cattle.”

Eilrin’s mouth hung open with the shock of learning that one of the altered Sharfi had been responsible for Aerashai’s injuries before her rescue. He figured that it had been her cousin, Sokai, who undoubtedly allowed the evil inside of him to harm her especially if he didn’t get what he wanted. The building sorrow in the little woman’s heart added itself to the debt that she felt that she owed Captain Durzan and the Triton crew. The Sharfi woman felt another tear slide down her face when she looked into the doctor’s eyes. The Deltan returned her blue-violet gaze, wiping the tears in her eyes.

“These tears aren’t meant for me. Though tears are what will carry me over a sea of sorrows,” she said quietly.

“But your cousin – “

“--- was only acting out of fear and his misconception of my emotions. The captain was kind enough to show me the way out of despair by making me a member of his crew… his family.”

“Triton to Able Team. Come in, Able team,” Lieutenant Commander Narensky’s voice spoke over Aerashai’s and everyone’s combadges that the Rixionites had neglected to take away from them. Valeris tapped her combadge at this first opportunity.

“This is Valeris. Go ahead, Triton.”

Captain Durzan replaced the operations officer on the line and his voice wasn’t pleasant in any possible way. “This is Durzan. Commander Valeris, our sensors have detected a large body of people moving towards your location. Prepare to beam yourselves back to the ship.”

“Negative, Captain. There are natives down here and –“

“Did I stutter, Commander? That’s an order! This isn’t the time or place to debate the merits out of this situation! The Rkalans are beaming down more of their sentry drones and they’ve been targeting the ship with their weapons. We have only a few minutes before they –“ A rush of static interrupted the transmission and the sound of an energy discharge was briefly heard before there was nothing but silence coming from the Vulcan’s combadge.

“What was… that… voice?,” the female on the dais stone wanted to know, bewildered by Durzan’s voice though she didn’t show it. Her anger permeated her facial features until it was the only emotion that she allowed herself to feel. Aerashai’s anger rose higher to the surface and she looked up at the Rixionite female with fiery embers burning the irises of her blue-violet eyes.

“That was our captain. Our ship is under attack! Ch’vhare and the Hive are closing in on our position and the Rkalans… are attacking our ship! While we have been here debating life, death, and destruction…,” she caught her breath and she continued with,”… life, death, and destruction have been raining down on us from all around! This is no longer a time for fancy speeches and talk! This is now a time for action and to time to fight for those you love! Because… because you might never see them again but you might as well go down fighting!”

Her inspiring words rang throughout the underground chamber before another sound could be heard. It was a rapid digging sound that came up from far above them. The craniums of a couple of altered Sharfi stuck themselves out of a small but rapidly-expanding hole that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Their eyes stared down at the gathering before disappearing back inside the hole. Further digging occurred, the size of the hole growing as one of the Rixionite fliers flew up for a closer look. Any fliers that followed him and flew too close to the hole were quickly killed as they were enveloped in streamers of deadly destructive purple plasma energy.

Valeris, Aerashai, Eilrin and the nine accompanying security guards broke away from the hold of their captors. Each of them reached out for the equipment that had been openly held on display in front of the assembly before the battle began. Every member of the Triton team armed themselves with hand phasers and phaser rifles except for Aerashai as her gem burned a hole through the front of her uniform, glowing angrily with energy before it fired a rainbow-tinted blast at the multitudes of the altered Sharfi who were sprouting forth from the gaping hole like an infection. As the hole grew larger into a tunnel, more converts with accelerated climbing skills came out into the wide and open environment of the underground chamber. Those with thruster packs fired their weapons on anything that moved and ate at any sentient whether they were dead or alive as they flew inside.

“Run for cover! Return fire!,” Valeris shouted above the chaos before she grabbed her phaser rifle, setting it for the kill setting. She fired a stream of ruby-red phaser energy at the tunnel dug by the Hive soldiers and the first from her long-barreled weapons incinerated several of the alien marauders but it drew weapons fire onto her position from several of the enemy soldiers. She was unexpectedly saved by Aerashai who shielded her with the unusual energy emanating from the gem in her chest before she ran for cover while the natives responsible for guarding the away team race off into battle with their drawn weapons, only to be promptly killed for their efforts.

Eilrin took a covering position behind the dais rock, his hand phaser returning fire at the alterform Sharfi attacking him before Valeris fired her rifle proportionately at the enemy. The Deltan quickly left his position, running towards the fallen ones unfortunate enough to be hit by enemy fire and the medical pack on his back took a direct hit that sent him sprawling backwards against a boulder maybe a few inches smaller than the dais rock. More plasma blasts would have disintegrated the poor doctor into nothingness if the security guard assigned to provide him with protection hadn’t gave his life as that he could live. Petty Officer zh’Fhran, an Andorian zhen and the Denobulan, Ensign Halox were lifted up high into the air by Sharfi-converts on thruster packs where they killed them by tearing them to pieces. Their remains littered their comrades which left Aerashai skulking at the fresh entrails getting in her hair.

“We’re getting overwhelmed here!,” Eilrin shouted to Valeris as he took cover again behind the dais rock with Sehayti, his sister, and the other Starfleet officers. The spear that the female had been gripping previously had already beam expended on several enemy combatants who had died a quick death at the tip of it. She held a dagger of the finest steel in each of her hands, her teeth bared at the enemy while her amber eyes showed very little fear for the situation around them.

“I shall endeavour to contact the ship again,” Valeris said amidst the chaos,” and see if they can send us down some reinforcements!” She was soon to discover that the Triton was in no condition to save them or anyone.



“Divert auxiliary power to the shields and phasers! Return fire!,” Captain Emeri Durzan shouted over the anarchy breaking loose on the bridge of the Charleston-class starship. His head ached from a blow to the head but he held onto his armrests while Pasko performed a series of complicated maneuvers designed to avoid weapons fire incoming from the Dyloriryas. Several waves of missiles had already struck the Federation starship with such a force that the ship had been damaged before the crew knew that they had been hit. After they were able to get the shields raised, Engineering had already reported that there were several areas in the saucer and drive sections where there were burnt, seared, or gaping hull breaches left by the onslaught of the Rkalan ship’s superior firepower.
“Dorsal shields are down to sixty-five percent and our ventral shields are down to forty-three percent, Captain!,” Taavr barked back at him while the Tandaran struggled to remain standing at his post after a set of consoles behind him had already exploded, killing two crewmen. The action had occurred when the Rkalan weapons had gotten a little too close to the bridge module, their bodies lying on the deck with the rest of the metallic debris. Several members of the bridge crew were scattered across the perimeter of the deck, dead, dying, or stricken unconscious from their wounds. Both turbolifts and the emergency tube were out of order and people on the bridge and down on Deck Two below them were working hard to clear away the debris covering the access points to the emergency stairways.
“Keep targeting their ventral systems!,” the captain ordered. “Maybe we’ll hit something!”
“Firing!,” the Tandaran responded, trying orders into his board.
The bow phasers on the Triton’s saucer surged with energy and fired at the Rkalan vessel. The weapons blast was absorbed by their shields while the kinetic force of the blast damaged their hull. Another blast from the ship’s torpedo launchers struck the ship with forced ferocity before the Dyloriryas returned fire, striking the secondary hull near Main Engineering. Down in that section of the ship was as shaken as the ship was.
“Pasko and his damned bumpy rides!,” was all that Chief Engineer Delacroix could say over the intercom while he and his engineers were working on keeping the ship from falling apart in pieces around them. “I’m an engineer, not a damned miracle worker!”
“Engineering, report!,” Narensky yelled down at him over the intercom. She was coordinating damage control efforts throughout the ship while keeping the captain updated with information.
“Delacroix here!,” the engineer shouted back at her. “What do you want now?! I’m busy!”
“Are you all right down there, Chief?”
“As well as I could be if my ship wasn’t getting her ass kicked across the star system!,” was the Frenchman’s response before he continued with her damage report. “I’d rather be in Nice, sitting, drinking champagne and catching up on my technical journals, then this! The warp drive’s off-line and we’ve lost the primary impulse manifold system. I’ve got the secondary systems up and running but tell Sean that he still has maneuvering thrusters. Decks Eleven through Thirteen have hull breaches and the emergency force fields… they’re flickering… and… and they’re being a son-of-a-bitch with the power reserves!”
“Pete, evacuate Decks Eleven through Thirteen and divert power from the force fields to the shields.” Durzan had risen from his chair and looked ahead at the main viewer before walking over to take a position behind Amber. The Dyloriryas was facing the beleaguered starship now and their position to the Triton reminded the Betazoid of a game of chicken that he and his fellow cadets had played a few times at the Academy. Those days of youthful exploits seemed like several lifetimes ago.
“Chief,” Narensky spoke to the chief engineer down in Engineering,” go ahead and –“
“I heard him! I heard him! I’m on it, bridge! Engineering out!”
Confident in Delacroix’s and Narensky’s ability to keep the ship together, Durzan turned around to face Taavr. “Weapons status, Mister Taavr?”
“We have only fifteen torpedoes left and our phasers are running at forty-two percent,” he reported, his face barely showing the pain that he was suffering from. The side of his left leg was embedded with a long jagged piece of metal near his hip. “S-shields are down to thirty… thirty-one… percent and falling. I can-can’t explain why… why they’re…” He was really struggling with the pain and the blood pooling down on the deck near his leg.
“Maybe I can,” Seltus interrupted him. “After scanning Starfleet records and comparing them to my own –“
“This isn’t time for a lecture at the Vulcan Science Academy, Seltus!,” the Tandaran complained.
“Suffice it to say, Captain, the Rkalans use a power matrix in their weapons systems that drain the shields of their opposing target after firing on them. According to Commander Delacroix, we have been experiencing the same drops in power.”
“It could also be happening because Sokai got a chance to look at our schematics before he left the ship,” Pasko suggested.
“Such possibilities could exist, Mister Pasko,” Seltus murmured, more to himself than to the young pilot.
“Hail the Dyloriryas, Amber and request a parley with Commander Rui’lon so we can discuss a negotiable settlement to this damned conflict. We might be able to get out of it this time with parlor tricks but we will survive.”
“The ship can’t take much more of the pounding, sir.” This from Pasko.
“I would agree with that assessment, Captain,” Seltus chimed in.
“Sir, can I use smaller words?,” the operations manager asked. “Rui’lon isn’t well-known for being… well… for being too diplomatic.”
“Make it go, Commander.”
“Sir?”
“Yes, Taavr?”
“I’m receiving distress calls from both teams down on the surface, Captain, and they’re both under attack.”
“Damn,” he breathed, stepping in-between the helm and ops consoles.
“I’ve also been inter-intercepting similar communiqués between… between the Rkalans and their auto-automated drones down in Markham Valley, s-sir,” Taavr continued, his teeth clenching against the anguishing pain that he was feeling. His every word was followed with a ragged breath. “They were supposed to… to assist Chief Sendon’s t-team but… but their programming isn’t exactly… following… orders…”
“Let me guess,” Nurse Sito said, speaking as she climbed out onto the bridge with the help of a damage control engineer. A couple of medical corpsmen shadowed her as she made an assessment of the wounded. “Sokai beamed off the ship and down on Rixion?”
Narensky checked her sensor readings to confirm the Bajoran’s guess. “It’s confirmed, sir. According to his biometric signature in Sickbay’s records, Sokai is down on the planet with a majority of the Rkalan security drones.”
“Sounds like the Chief has his work cut out for him.”
Durzan took his phaser out of the holster on his belt. After checking the weapon’s power charge, he re-holstered it and turned to Pasko. His next question would have been directed at Taavr but the medics were already helping him down to the deck while she made inquired to his health with her medical tricorder.
“Do we have any security people left aboard, Mr. Pasko?”
“You’ve got me, sir,” the junior grade lieutenant said before he stood up from his post.
“You’ve got me as well,” a familiar voice said from the emergency stairway. Commander Rebecca Windsong, recovered and returning to duty stood there with a phaser on her belt, war paint on her face, and a phaser rifle in her hands.
“And where do you think you’re going, Rebecca? You were just in –“
“If you think I’m letting you beam down into a hostile situation, then you’re dumber than you act… sir,” the Nez Perce Indian said with a hint of a smile. She looked at Narensky. “Don’t let him leave the bridge, ok?”
“I’ll wrestle him to the ground if I have to, ma’am.”
“Mister Pasko?”
“Yes, ma’am?,” the pilot said from the open panel in the deck that spiraled downward to the deck below the bridge level. An emergency stairway was partially visible through the open space.
“Let’s go hunting.”

[Captain Universe]

Chapter Seven

Dozens of energy pillars caused by the transporter effect materialized into existence at the center of the natives’ underground chamber where the massacre had taken place., the dead bodies of Rixionites, alterform Sharfi and Triton personnel were scattered everywhere with the stench of drying blood and the stink of rotting corpses heavily assaulting their senses. Commander Windsong stood at the center of the arriving away team with a phaser rifle raised to fire. The emitter was aimed directly at Aerashai’s head and she screamed out with all of the air in her lungs before she realized that the Commander had arrived with reinforcements.
The short Sharfi woman saw Lieutenant Pasko and she leapt to him with her arms outstretched to welcome him. A quick hug was shared between them before she cowered behind him. She even saw Drox among the security personnel, wearing a floral print dress and carrying a phaser rifle in both hands. The rest of the squad were mismatched from the ship’s scientific, medical, operations, and security departments. Some of them carried hand phasers and phaser rifles and some of them carried tricorders and medical equipment.
“I can see that the cavalry arrived just in the nick of time,” Doctor Eilrin whispered in pain, his right eye closed shut from a direct blow that he had received from the butt of a Hive soldier’s plasma rifle. His phaser was holstered on his belt and he held a tricorder and a dermal regenerator in his hands while he treated Sehayti. The male Rixionite had a compound fracture in both arms and several areas where the Sharfi-converts tried to steal sustenance. With the doctor’s injuries being secondhand, he directed medical personnel with the assistance of Doctor Akaan Na Keth, his Triexian deputy in Sickbay.
“The captain got busy in orbit,” Windsong explained while she lowered herself down onto her knees beside the doctor. He was on his knees beside Commander Valeris who was suffering from several stab wounds and a missing limb, namely her left arm. “I see that you had your own struggles here. Did you happen to find the time to locate Ch’vhare?”
“The Rixionites located us… and brought us here be-before the Hive found us, Commander,” the Vulcan told her, one of the stab wounds making it hard for her to breathe. “We slaughtered each other and lost… zh’Fhran… Halox…. and…” She trailed off as she slipped into a healing trance.
“Commander,” Lieutenant Seltus said as he walked over to the kneeling captain. The Vulcan science officer had his tricorder out and the device was actively scanning the underground chamber.
“What is it, Mr. Seltus?” Windsong was assisting Eilrin and a corpsman with loading Valeris up onto one of the stretchers.
“There are no more enemy soldiers in the surrounding area and there are no signs that they have moved onto the other tunnels,” the science officer said, making his report. He would still scan, of course, for any more signs of Ch’vhare or any of the alterform Sharfi.
“Contact the Triton, Lieutenant, and have Amber scan for the Invader’s crash site. I want Ch’vhare and any of the survivors relocated to our brig before the Rkalans get the idea to destroy the colony in their minds.”
“You… you would… relocate us?,” the bewildered voice of Sehayti whispered out through his grief as he stood only a couple of meters away from her. He was sitting down amongst the remains of his species – one of them being his spear-wielding sister. All of his limbs except for his lower left arm were broken which was clutching at the cheek of his beloved sister. Rebecca could barely stand to look at this fallen man.
‘Years of warfare could certainly take their toll on a person,’ she thought,’ even if it’s in the space of an hour.’
“We don’t plan on relocating your people from this world as long as there is air in my lungs and blood in my veins. This I swear,” she said with a tine that was harsh at the very suggestion. This world was the Rixionites and she intended to make sure that it remained theirs.
“Who… who are you? Are you a… are you… one… one of the Enlightened Ones?,” he asked her, his point of view different from the human’s because there was an aura of bright light streaming down overhead from the massive skylight that hung over them.
“I’m not damned deity!” Her insensitive rebuke was momentary and not meant to harm the downed creature. She sighed with all of the fatigue caused by her coma. “I’m Rebecca Windsong, first officer of the Starship Triton and I believe that you made the acquaintance of Commander Valeris?”
“She said she was the First Officer. You… you’re… you’re the First Officer?”
“She was… temporary but yes, I’m the First Officer. At least, that’s what my husband tells in the morning when I look at him in the bathroom mirror.”
“Why… why do you come here? Won’t your Captain need you?,” Sehayti asked her though his pain was as evident as Valeris’. Eilrin and Akaan were already beginning to treat him with the wide range of medical equipment that she was able to carry down in all three of her arms. Windsong stood back while the doctors looked over their patient and she looked around the chamber. She saw just as much death and destruction as she had seen during the Dominion War. The scrawled out bodies of the dead made her ill to her stomach but she held it in for the sake of her public image.
“It was my privilege to beam down here, sir,” she answered Sehayti’s question before he was rendered unconscious by the Eilrin’s drugs,” to assess the situation and to help wherever possible like my captain would.” Rebecca tapped her combadge when it signed her for attention. “Windsong here.”
“This is Sendon, ma’am,” the hearty, thick voice of the Chief of the Boat said over her communicator. “Lieutenant Nassai is dead and we’re taking heavy fire from these Rkalan security drones! They’ve captured two of the outlying villages and they’re advancing on my position! Commander… they’re even sending down artillery shots from orbit!”
“Damn,” she wore in her head before she dictated orders to the Brikar. “Hold fast and don’t surrender, Chief! Reinforcements are on their way!” She tapped her combadge again to contact the ship, her query answered by the captain.
“Pete says that he’s gotten our impulse drive working again but the warp core is still disabled. He says that it should be on-line in five hours but I think he’ll have it working quicker than that,” the Betazoid said, almost jovially.
“What about our shields and weapons, sir?”
“Ok, which one of us is the captain here?”
“You are, sir.” ‘Maybe in your world,’ she also thought at the same time.
“Well, in my world, Commander,” he said, the commander forgetting that her commanding officer was a telepath,” we’ve depleted our supply of quantum torpedoes since the Dyloriryas decided to fire on us again after you beamed down. Our port phaser bank is down and-and… Oh, shit, it’s the de Gaulle! Rebecca, our reinforcements have arrived! It’s the de Gaulle and the Potemkin! Even the Tesla’s here!” The excitement in his voice carried over the transmission along with excitement from the rest of the Triton’s bridge crew. Windsong saw a sigh of relief from Pasko and Aerashai smiled back at her before she returned to helping the medics perform triage.
“Captain, may I request that you pass a message on to the de Gaulle and the other ships?”
“Sure, go ahead, Commander.”
“Tell them, sir, that… we held.”



Captain’s log, supplemental;

Reinforcements have reached us here in the Hetayli system and all I can find myself offering Captains Brazmarek, T’Leira, and Ariel are my thanks of appreciation. The de Gaulle and her crew have taken custody of the Rkalan battle cruiser Dyloriryas and they are escorting them out of Federation space and back to their own territory. The Potemkin and the Tesla have remained in orbit while their engineers repair our hurt and their doctors provide aid to the people on the planet below.
Of the Cradle’s crew, none of those outside of stasis survived the massacre in the Rixionite underground. Ch’vhare has been picked up by our security team and he awaits trial at the nearest starbase in our brig. The ship itself has been lifted up from the surface by the Tesla’s crew and will be taken to Starbase Ninety-Five for further study by the Tesla once it has been readied for warp flight. Our guest and unofficial mission specialist has elected to remain aboard the Triton and part of me wonders if she believes that she owes us some form of debt or because we might be the best way of helping her find her way home.
Meanwhile, Vice-Admiral Saavik has arrived aboard the U.S.S. Ironhide to begin an official investigation into this incident. To clear up any paperwork on my desk, I have recommended Commanders Valeris, Windsong, and the rest of my crew for either promotions or commendations for their hard work over the past few days.

Many of the buildings remaining in Markham Valley’s main settlement were in several states of repair when Captain Durzan and Lieutenant Commander Narensky beamed down to the settlement. Two more days had passed since the end of the short victorious war that had taken place in the streets of this place. Both Starfleet officers, Betazoid and Human, looked haggard and worn from all that their eyes had seen and experienced since their first encounter with the Cradle. Commanders Windsong and Delacroix were busy overseeing the repairs to the ship before they left for a more exhaustive refit at Starbase 95.
“I thought that we would be meeting aboard the Ironhide, Captain,” Admiral Saavik stated after a transporter beam released her onto the planet. The medium-sized Vulcan woman made the captain feel short while she was accompanied by several security officers and her second-in-command aboard the Ironhide, another serious-looking Vulcan named Xon who wore commander’s pips on his red collar.
“I believe that your investigation should begin where some of the incident took place, Admiral.” The Betazoid’s eyes drifted across the rooftops that closely resembled Mexican and Chinese architecture during ancient times back on Earth before he returned his attention to the admiral. “To begin the investigation, I would like to officially state that the Federation shouldn’t have followed Captain Markham’s recommendation to colonize this world. With a native indigenous species on this world, the legality of such a… rapid colonization would be illegal especially with the natives’ protesting the colonists’ disruptive presence here. If my voice added to their protest cost me my career, then… that’s the price that I’m willing to take.”
“If I am correct in your earlier reports, Captain, these natives live on the northern continent while the colonists live on the eastern continent. It is not logical that your argument will convince the Federation Colonization Authority or the Federation Council that a mistake has been made here.
“I actually support,” the admiral continued while not allowing the captain to argue his point,” the pioneering spirit of our colonists when they left their homes for this world, ten years ago.”
“I support their spirit as well, Admiral, since I’ve had a chance to see of the earlier work done here when the Ranger established this colony. However, the Prime Directive appears to have been twisted to –“
“This is neither the time, nor the place to argue over the mistakes your superiors, Captain Durzan. We serve at the whim of the Federation and I do not care about what your ‘feelings’ are on this subject. Your actions here on Rixion might have saved lives but you also risked our diplomatic dialogue with the Rkala Compact. You may not have know this but the Wyvren has been –“
“This is still wrong, Admiral,” Durzan said, more calm and coherent like his superior officer.
“What do you intend to do about this, Captain?,” Saavik asked him, putting prominence on his rank. His defiance was deliberately visible on his face and in his body language though he knew that he couldn’t do anything about the Rixionites’ situation or the admiral. There was the temptation to resign his commission right there on the spot but he knew that there were people back aboard the Triton who were counting on him.
“YOU CAN DIE, DURZAN!,” a snarling voice shouted harshly over a loudspeaker. As the Betazoid turned to face the voice from afar, plasma energy blasts streamed across the air and struck Commander Xon and several members of Saavik’s security detachment. Amber Narensky was also hit in the weapons fire, struck in the abdomen and bleeding from her stomach before she fell down to the ground below her.
Admiral Saavik was a different story entirely.
She was down on her knees beside her second-in-command who had a large burn hole at the center of his chest. It was believe that Xon’s life ended as instantly as it had been lived since he was still considered to be a young man by his species but a sign from the admiral told Durzan that it was only the result of him slipping into a healing trance. The admiral’s eyes were blank and she stood up to look over in the direction of the weapons fire. Without any warning, she was struck by a man protecting her with his body. Landing on the ground beside her downed comrade and Narensky, she saw the captain looking down at her.
“Stay down!,” he shouted before he rushed off to seek cover behind a downed piece of debris from a damaged building that had housed a barber shop. A few of the Ironhide security officers gathered behind them while two more security officers sought cover behind a building, the admiral carrying Narensky after she had stopped the bleeding with the sleeves of her uniform jacket. Covering them didn’t keep them living for long because once they were fired upon, they died quickly from their wounds afterwards.
“Surrender, Durzan, and I’ll make your death a quick and painless one!,” came the evil voice again.
‘That’s impossible!,’ Durzan thought when he realized that the evil voice belonged to Sokai. He exhaled a deep breath, checking the setting on his hand phaser. ‘Dyloriryas is already on its way back to Rkalan space with the de Gaulle. How could he…?’
“Sokai, you son of a bitch! What do you want?!”
“I want you dead! And I want Rixion… for myself!”
“You can’t have this world!,” Emeri yelled back at him before he rushed out into the square that he had only been walking through a few moments ago. He searched for targets and found several Rkalan security drones approaching him. Firing his phaser at each of them in the order of how close they got to him, he remembered from an earlier study of their mechanical systems made by Delacroix and he knew to aim at their salad bowl-shaped heads. Striking them each of them simultaneously with his phaser, their heads exploded with their remaining components falling down to the ground, destroyed. More of Sokai’s drone flew out of the woodwork at him and they were quickly dispatched by Durzan and two of the Ironhide security officers who followed close behind him.
A Sharfi male wearing an armored body suit suddenly stepped out of nowhere on the opposite side of the square where the Betazoid could see him. He stared down at the Starfleet officers, his mind filled with dark and terrifying thoughts as he glared at the Triton’s commanding officer with nothing but disgust and contempt on his face. With Rkalan plasma pistols in both hands, Aerashai’s cousin stepped forward and took aim at Durzan.
“It doesn’t have to end like this, Sokai!,” Emeri said angrily as he took aim at the Sharfi with his phaser. “You can return home and—“
“You have dishonored me, you pathetic pile of… I can never go back home to Sharfiyt! Thank you for interfering in my life!” He fired an energy blast past Durzan’s head and it struck a stone that had been part of the barber shop. More debris from the building fell down and trapped the security officers off from helping the captain.
“Revenge isn’t the way to solve your problems!”
Durzan took cover again behind another piece of fallen stone debris, getting closer to the Sharfi. With each discharge of their weapons and with every miss, both men grew closer to each other until they were only a few meters away from each other. Both of them were covered behind debris from the ruined buildings and their view of each other was obstructed by a broken stature at the center of the square. It had been a sculpture of Captain Valerie Markham, the woman who had founded the Markham Valley Colony while commanding the Ambassador-class starship U.S.S. Ranger.
“This is how we settle disputes on my world!,” the renegade shouted with an energy blast flying forward after that statement. It struck an area above Durzan, breaking stone marble that fell in pieces around him. Ducking out of the way, he lost his phaser and as he fell to the ground, the Starfleet captain could feel the hard press of Sokai’s guns against both sides of his head. Glancing up at the Sharfi, the Triton’s captain realized that he was now a prisoner.
“One shall stand… One shall fall…,” he said softly, remembering a quote that his former commanding officer, Admiral S’rrel had said once when he served aboard the Wyvren as a younger man.
“What… what did you say?,” Sokai demanded to know while he huffed out an angry breath. “What do you throw your life away so recklessly, Captain? Is it the glory? Or because of these pitiful –“
“That’s a question you should ask yourself!,” the Betazoid shouted back at him before his right hand shot forward to strike him in the jaw. The renegade Sharfi was sent reeling backwards away from him, his weapons dropping out of his hands as he tried to maintain his balance. Another blow to his face landed Sokai into falling backwards against a large chunk of stone. He landed on his head, pain flooding his senses until he realized that he was lying on the ground being pummeling to death.
After taking a few swings to him, the captain lifted himself up to his feet and moved away to retrieve his lost weapon but the Sharfi had a different idea. He leapt up into the air on his hind legs and landed down on top of him. The feline-like creature scratched him with his claws, his sharp nails scratching at his face and upper body before he bit his left arm when Durzan raised it to defend himself from the alien’s assault. His teeth dug deeply into Emeri’s arm before he was knocked away with his right fist – a sharp punch straight to the nose. Blood dripped down heavily from his broken nose with deep lacerations and dark bruises seen on the captain’s face, chest, and arms.
“We… we can’t…,” Durzan struggled to say with every breath,”… we can’t do… do this… for-forever, Sokai. One… one of us has-had to… sur-surrender sooner or… or later…”
“Never!,” his enemy snarled, growling deeply from his throat before he leaped up at Captain Durzan again. He finally fell down from a phaser blast that flew through the air at him from the direction of the Triton’s captain. Landing down on the debris-covered grass below him, the Sharfi rolled over onto his side before sinking down into unconsciousness. Before he went into that sweet, never-ending darkness, he saw Emeri Durzan lying down beside him with the same serious injuries that they had done to one another.
“Success,” he whispered into a single breath before finally passing out.
“Captain?! Captain Durzan?!,” Aerashai shouted before she approached the captain’s side. Lieutenant Pasko followed her with a phaser rifle in his hands. They were accompanied by Doctor Eilrin and Chief Sendon. The Deltan bent down to treat the captain’s injuries while the Brikar and the pilot secured Sokai in restraints.
“What… what happened? Did I get him?,” Emeri wanted to know when he looked up at the Sharfi with one eye open. His right eye was swollen shut and the bright illumination of the Hetayli sun framed her so angelically that he almost believed that he was at Death’s doorstep.
“The Dyloriryas apparently beamed down some cloaked security drones into planetary orbit before the de Gaulle escorted them out of here,” Pasko reported before Aerashai could speak. “Sokai gained access to them through Rui’lon and before the drones landed on the planet, they decloaked and fired on the Tesla. Tesla was left drifting in orbit but fortunately we were close enough to intercept her and provide assistance. The Ironhide was only slightly damaged by the attack but we were able to stop some of them before they joined Sokai down here.”
“And… and the crew?,” the Betazoid captain asked him, speaking in low and soft whispers because he was close to unconsciousness himself. The pain from his injuries was excruciating but it reminded him that he was still among the living.
“Commander Windsong,” Aerashai answered him through bewildered fear on her face,” ordered Sean, Eilrin, the Chief, and I down here to retrieve you and Commander Narensky. Where is Amber?” She looked around and found her, barely bleeding from her abdominal wound that Admiral Saavik had treated by ripping off the sleeves of her jacket.”
“Begin…,” Durzan started to say,” treat-ting… the wounded and-and…”
“The only place you’re going to Sickbay, my friend,” Eilrin said, putting away his tricorder and replacing it on his belt. The bald-headed alien looked at him with the same stoic look that he was well-known for. He looked at Pasko and continued in a hard voice,” I can’t do much more for him down here. He needs immediate surgery.”
Tapping his combadge, Pasko contacted the ship. “Pasko to Triton, we have several wounded down here needing transport to Sickbay. We’ll also need Doctor Akaan available to assist Doctor Eilrin in surgery.”
“Is it serious?,” a disembodied voice asked him. While hovering on the periphery between consciousness and unconsciousness, Durzan recognized the voice belonging to his first officer.
“One of them is the captain, ma’am.”
“Acknowledged, Lieutenant. Prepare for transport. We’re bringing you home.”
As the transporter beam started to envelope Pasko, Aerashai, Sendon, Saavik, Narensky, Xon, Captain Durzan, and the others, that was the moment when the lights went out for the Triton’s captain.





First Officer’s log, stardate 60070.9, Commander Rebecca Windsong reporting;

After the events down on Rixion, I have assumed command of the Triton during the absence of Captain Durzan. We are currently on course for Starbase 95 for rest, repairs, and relaxation. The U.S.S. Ironhide has remained in the Hetayli system to oversee the rebuilding and recovery operations that have begun in Markham Valley and in the native Rixionites’ habitats. From our own captain’s vision, both the local populace and the colonists are working together as one community driving towards one single purpose for them to succeed – survival.
Vice-Admiral Saavik has seen fit to award this ship and crew with her third Battle Star since her launch in the middle of the Dominion War. She believes that we handled a dangerous situation with the greatest of care. Personally, I can’t help but think about everyone that we’ve lost over the past week especially with the away team members who died aboard the Cradle, the death and destruction aboard Starbase 307, and the near-apocalypse that occurred on Rixion.
Sickbay has reported that Captain Durzan will be returning to duty soon and I can’t imagine the struggle that he goes through every day as captain of this ship and as the leader of this crew. I can see by the loyalty and by the honor that they give him, that Captain Durzan is the right man to command this ship and to lead these people. It’s only my singular hope that I’ll be allowed to remain aboard and to serve as his First Officer for many more years to come.

“I’ve heard about conflict bringing people together. I just didn’t believe that it would be you and Aerashai, Sean,” Lieutenant Commander Pierre Delacroix said while he sat at a table in the lounge that the Triton’s crew called ‘Forward Watch’. The communal area had very few people in it since most of the crew was enjoying the splendor of shore leave aboard the starbase. Starbase engineering teams were overseeing the ship’s refit, though they were under a tight watch by the Chief Engineer and his team. He smiled at Sean and Aerashai while the couple reveled in their happiness.
Aerashai sat next to Sean on the opposite side of the table, her heart swelling with love for this human that she didn’t realize that she had for him until she survived the massacre in the underground tunnels. Those feelings and emotions that had swirled inside of her had almost sent her into a fury until the pilot admitted that he had similar feelings for her.
“Do you have a problem with that?,” she asked him, fluttered her blue-violet eyes at him.
“I just don’t envy the captain when he has to learn the names of all the new people we’ll have on board.”
“How is he?,” Sean asked.
“The doctor says that he was coming along quite well. The captain’s a fighter and that’s what counts, Sean,” Delacroix told him. “Give him another day and he’ll have us doing jumping jacks or painting the hull or something.”
“Maybe a few battle drills?,” a voice asked them. It was Drox coming out of her kitchen wearing her white apron over a maroon and gold patterned dress. She looked almost as tired as the rest of them but her ever-present smile was still on her face.
They were joined by Rebecca Windsong who was carrying a tray of food over to the long table. Both women sat down on either side of the it with the Sharfi striking up a conversation with the first officer. Pasko and Delacroix discussed the ship’s repairs in the meantime. The Nez Perce has only a few faint scars left over from her ordeal aboard the Cradle and she appeared to have made a complete recovery that filled the others with hope for the future.
“Can anyone join this party or do I need an invitation? Because I’ll sit around just about anywhere,” Master Chief Petty Officer Mak Sendon said when he and Lieutenant Taavr came over to sit down with their own food trays. All of them either ate their meals in silence or joined in whatever conversation arose. Despite everything that had happened, you could tell that everyone at the table were all friends.
“So what happened to your wife?,” Taavr asked Delacroix before the Tandaran took a bite of his hasperat that he almost choked on because of the unexpected heat. Everyone seemed keen to hear this explanation.
“We, uh… we discovered that we weren’t, uh, the right people to be married to,” he said after swallowing and wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“I’m married and we have no difficulties,” Rebecca quipped before she took a sip of her iced tea.
“But you have three husbands.”
“And they have two wives and so on. It’s different being married to a Denobulan.”
“I’m having a little trouble seeing you with three men at once, Commander,” Pasko said with a forkful of food held in front of him.
“It’s not too hard to imagine, Mr. Pasko,” she said from experience since she was the only other member of the Triton’s senior staff with martial experience. There were times that she missed her husband and children between the chats that he had with them on subspace. But he felt such camaraderie with these people, her friends.
Standing outside the open doorway to Forward Watch, Emeri Durzan saw the solidarity in his people after their last mission.
“Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to come in?,” Delacroix shouted after the Frenchman noticed the captain stalking them in the shadows of the corridor. He smiled at the engineer and took a step into the room.

The End!

43 pages
39, 818 words

[Captain Universe]

And in case anyone is curious about what a Charleston-class starship looks like.

home.earthlink.net/~joemcmullen/images/Charleston/Charleston-schematic.jpg